Crazzzzeeeee Golf!!

Jordan loves playing Crazy Golf! He discovered a passion for it when we were on holiday in 2005 & we went on a day trip to The Hop Farm. He played several rounds & was actually very good for a three year old....
....although he has an interesting technique!! It was a cross between golf & snooker I think!! Jordan loved this hole because the ball disappears into the tank (nice action shot eh?)....
.... & then you have to lift it up to get your ball back again!!
In 2005 Timmy & Luke were too small to play Crazy Golf but they enjoyed watching us play from the comfort of their pram. Anyway, the reason I was thinking about Crazy Golf was because Jordan, my Dad & I played a round of it on Saturday afternoon in Cae Glas Park after eating a lovely picnic prepared for us by my Mum. It was great fun even though I came last! After playing in the play area Timmy & Luke enjoyed watching us play (but not in their pram this time!!). Goodness! How the boys have all grown since these photos were taken!


Anyway, we have lots of news to tell you so hopefully I will find some time to take the relevant piccies & update you all very soon! The boys are off school this week & Lee has a couple of days holiday at the end of the week too so we're all looking forward to that. Hope all who read are having a great week. Till next time! Byeeee!! :o)

MOSI Fun!

We took a trip on the train over to Manchester a week last Saturday to spend the day at MOSI (Museum Of Science & Industry). The boys were very excited to be going on the train & it had to be said that they pretty much stole the hearts of everyone in the crowded train carriage with their curls, long eyelashes, childish excitement, good behaviour & general cuteness!! It was one of those warm & fuzzy parenting moments! I was quite proud of my little darlings!
After arriving at Manchester Oxford Road train station we then got the free bus over to the museum. Luke loves going on the 'bus train' (his name for all buses!).
We began our trip in the Xperiment exhibition were there are loads of hands on science experiments & the like for everyone to have a go at. This is a 188kg granite ball that can be moved with incredible ease because it's resting on water!

We all had a good laugh at the upside down 3D reflections...

...and enjoyed playing a tune or two on the plastic pipe instrument (no Luke isn't eating the beater!!).

The boys loved lifting the mini up & down although Luke was a little disappointed that he couldn't actually get in the mini!

Annie Joy really loved playing in the under 5s area with the building blocks & multi sensory toys.

Timmy & Jordan tried to play this listening & guessing game but without much success....

...their friction car race was much more successful! All the friction stuff links in very nicely with Jordan's science topics at school too! We also had fun in the Power Hall looking at all kinds of steam trains & engines, looking at aeroplanes, space rockets & old cars in the Air & Space Hall & eating very expensive (but very tasty) crisps in the cafe!

We all enjoyed our ride on the Planet steam train. It's a replica of the first passenger train that Robert & George Stephenson built way back in 1829. It sure was a bumpy ride! And we only went up & down the track three times- I can't imagine travelling all the way between Liverpool & Manchester on the Planet!! Annie Joy absolutely loved the train ride & made the sweetest little chuffing train noise for the whole trip interspersed with 'Toot! Toots!' She is going to be in her element when we see Thomas the Tank engine in the summer isn't she?

The train ride home was a little wearing but Annie Joy loved sitting on the train seat (not in her pram) & eating left overs from our train picnic on the way to MOSI. It was a very enjoyable day out & one we shall be repeating at some stage so that we can see the rest of the museum because we didn't even see half of it in one day!

Well, hope you are all well & having a good week. Annie Joy & I are full of cold so I'm off for a sit down while she naps now! Tomorrow we are going to school to watch Timmy & Luke's first class assembly. Jordan has seen the dress rehearsal & says it's fantastic! We're looking forward to it! :o)

Creative Organising

I've been busy organising around our house & I thought it was about time I showed you some piccies! Today I have been sorting out the kids art stuff & the toys in the play room. It's been a slow process due to lack of money to do the job all in one go, lack of large chunks of time to organise etc etc but little by little we are making progress! I have been greatly inspired by reading this blog too. Reading it has really helped me to enjoy getting organised a bit more! (Thankyou Aby!) This is what the play room looked like last year....

....and this is what it looks like this afternoon (note it hasn't all been organised today!!)

I finally got around to hanging the boys art work on the wall. Actually, it's the first time I have ever done it! (Click here if you'd like to see the artwork better!) Yeah, there's still a lot of arty crafty stuff piled on top of the cupboards but it is a bit more orderly now! I'm still working on what exactly to do with it all to make them more accessible for the boys...
The toys are now all in nice neat square boxes & labelled with photo & word tags so that the children know what is inside each container (more or less!). I love the opaque boxes that show the colours of the toys inside. I had to re-do the tags as my first lot were too flimsy & got ripped off the metal rings! Tags mark II are made with VERY thick card! They have lasted well so far!!
These are some of the photos that are on the tags. I had a lot of fun taking these photos! My favourite label is the dressing up one. Timmy & Luke are SO cute dressed as pirates! (Click here for more piratey pictures if you like!)
The cupboards are what I have been focusing on today (with Annie Joy's help!). These three file folders are full of sticker & activity books, colouring books & assorted papers & card. Do you think we have enough?? ;o) Previously they had all been in a huge plastic box behind one of the chairs in the living room & no-one could be bothered to wade through it all to find what they might want. Hopefully this will help the boys to find arty things to do whenever they want now! I am planning on labeling the folders with photo labels & then labelling the cupboard door too so everything is really clear!
And this lovely set of rainbow drawers is my latest creative organising master piece!! (I'm pleased with it, can you tell??!). I had a LOT of fun making the labels for each drawer with foam bookplates (that I cut out using my sizzix machine), coloured brads (which are like tiny split pins) & some very old white letraset (rub on lettering) which once belonged to my Dad. The drawers are in the unit that we have our telly on at floor level so it's very easy for Annie Joy to use because she loves to draw & colour ALL the time! So far we haven't had any mishaps with her drawing in the wrong places (although once she did get her hands on an ink stamper & stamp her tights with red ink!! Needless to say, these stampers are not kept in these drawers!). So that is a little bit of what I have been up to of late. How about you faithful readers? Hope all is well with you! TTFN!

May the 4th Be With You Luke (Or 'Not quite the day we had planned'!)

Luke had a really bad fall this afternoon during our visit to Erddig (see here for more details!). It's a good job that Lee is a qualified First Aider as the facilities at Erddig weren't quite up to scratch (the staff were lovely though)! Luke fell up a set of stone steps & badly cut his head just above his eyebrow. It was very deep so we took him to Wrexham Hospital where he was glued back together again.

He was really brave & was very pleased when the nurse at the hospital said he really must have super powers as he was so brave & good having his treatment. Yes, he was dressed as Superman again! He did a great Superman impersonation for the Doctor at the hospital & nearly went flying off the bed!! To which the doctor said 'Yes, that's probably how you hurt your head isn't it?'!! (If you would like to see a close up of his injury it's in the post below- just scroll right down). Luke is feeling more himself now & is very proud of his 'deep cut'.



In other news, Jordan has had a fabulous weekend away at his grandparents house. He went for a 4 mile bike ride, played crazy golf with Auntie Helen & Uncle Ian, walked Putney the puppy & went swimming too! On Saturday Lee & I had a great time at Speke Hall with Timmy, Luke & Annie Joy. We had a fantastic walk in the woodlands there. The bluebells were splendid & the weather was gorgeous (but I forgot my camera!!). Annie Joy learnt to say 'Mummy' this weekend which is lovely! (Previously I was called Daddy & Daddy was called Daddy too which was a little confusing!). And now I am weary so I shall go & pop the kettle on & settle down for a quiet evening in with Lee. Hope you are all well. Till next time! :o)

Luke's Wound (don't look if you're squeemish!)

Bless his little cotton socks! He is such a brave boy!