Chris Evans (he of Radio 2 Breakfast Show fame - amongst other things...) earlier said that children on average laugh over 60 times a day, where as us adults only manage a measly 14.
And so today, to help your laughter count,I give you MercyMe, and their 'Cover Tune Grab Bag'... MercyMe are a 'proper' band, with some really good tunes, however - this is them, letting their hair down a bit. Make sure you watch till at least 2:06... So funny...
Thank you so much to Anna at lifeinthelittletreehouse for putting me on to this x
Tuesday 29 March 2011
Thursday 24 March 2011
Spring. a bird-house in your soul... and skipping!
As Ogden Nash would say:
I'm disproportionately excited that there are now a pair of Great Tits nesting in the bird-house on the ash tree in our back garden. We put up the bird-house three Springs ago, and although a few birds have popped in to have a look since then, we've never had any-birdy decide to stay. Will have to keep a look out for any babies now... Will keep you posted.
I love Spring. Especially Spring like today, which is blue-skyed, warm - but not boiling, and (for me) before the evilness that is hay fever. Spring is so full of hope and joy and all things seem new.
Have you seen any lambs yet? I haven't. Still, I have got my own little skipping chap to fulfill the cuteness quotient... Nathan has obviously been practising skipping at nursery, and his deliberate, slightly wobbly but very committed skip is one of the cutest things I have ever seen... See for yourself:
Nathan skipped into nursery this morning, holding my hand and saying: "Come on Mummy!" Well, there was nothing for it, I had to skip too. It made him happy, but it actually made me happy too; even when I got a couple of funny looks. I did also get a couple of compliments on my skipping too though - from Mums who understood...
Michael McIntyre is a skipping fan too as you can see here... So there you go. This truly is public service blogging today; covering both the cutest and the funniest things you'll see all week - or possibly even all year!
Enjoy the sunshine x
"Spring has sprungActually - the boid - OK, have to change to 'bird' now - the bird isn't on the wing anymore, it's in the bird-house (apologies - couldn't resist a They Might Be Giants link - such a good song...) in my garden.
The grass is riz
I wonder where the boidys is...
The boid is on the wing
But that's absurd
I always thought the wing was on the boid"
I'm disproportionately excited that there are now a pair of Great Tits nesting in the bird-house on the ash tree in our back garden. We put up the bird-house three Springs ago, and although a few birds have popped in to have a look since then, we've never had any-birdy decide to stay. Will have to keep a look out for any babies now... Will keep you posted.
I love Spring. Especially Spring like today, which is blue-skyed, warm - but not boiling, and (for me) before the evilness that is hay fever. Spring is so full of hope and joy and all things seem new.
Have you seen any lambs yet? I haven't. Still, I have got my own little skipping chap to fulfill the cuteness quotient... Nathan has obviously been practising skipping at nursery, and his deliberate, slightly wobbly but very committed skip is one of the cutest things I have ever seen... See for yourself:
Nathan skipped into nursery this morning, holding my hand and saying: "Come on Mummy!" Well, there was nothing for it, I had to skip too. It made him happy, but it actually made me happy too; even when I got a couple of funny looks. I did also get a couple of compliments on my skipping too though - from Mums who understood...
Michael McIntyre is a skipping fan too as you can see here... So there you go. This truly is public service blogging today; covering both the cutest and the funniest things you'll see all week - or possibly even all year!
Enjoy the sunshine x
Friday 18 March 2011
Reflections on a poo pile - part 2
I wrote part one of this blog a while back - so if you haven't read it, you might want to click here to catch up with part one; otherwise this won't make much sense...
Done? Good.
So, the big pile of poo is gone. Spread out all over the field to do it's (quite literally) dirty work... Actually, it only took the farmer and his (very fascinating to small boys) machinery a few hours to sort out.
Prior to the spreading, it had got to a point of just sitting there, present - but not really noticeable. I remember this time last year, when the previous poo pile was hiding under a layer of snow, trying to be even less conspicuous. I don't think it's stretching the analogy too far to say that sometimes the rubbish (or poo pile) in our lives can just sit there, not dealt with, not benefiting the surroundings - just being ignored...
The thing is, whilst the muck spreading was going on, the poo was smellier than ever. Moving the poo somehow released the smell to a new and smelly height. For the unfortunate farmer tasked with this smelly job, it would have been less stinky to leave the poo in a big pile - but then how would it have done it's job of nourishing the soil? Of course, it wouldn't have.
So today, I guess I want to encourage you... If you are dealing with something difficult, with your own (hopefully metaphorical) pile of poo; keep going. I think it was Winston Churchill who said: "If you are going through hell, keep going" as obviously he understood that the alternative was to stay where you are...
I know that God can bring good out of seemingly hopeless situations... He is, as stated in part one, the master recycler...
My prayer is that God will take hold of the struggles that you have and, as Rastamouse would say: "make a bad ting good".
Done? Good.
So, the big pile of poo is gone. Spread out all over the field to do it's (quite literally) dirty work... Actually, it only took the farmer and his (very fascinating to small boys) machinery a few hours to sort out.
Prior to the spreading, it had got to a point of just sitting there, present - but not really noticeable. I remember this time last year, when the previous poo pile was hiding under a layer of snow, trying to be even less conspicuous. I don't think it's stretching the analogy too far to say that sometimes the rubbish (or poo pile) in our lives can just sit there, not dealt with, not benefiting the surroundings - just being ignored...
The thing is, whilst the muck spreading was going on, the poo was smellier than ever. Moving the poo somehow released the smell to a new and smelly height. For the unfortunate farmer tasked with this smelly job, it would have been less stinky to leave the poo in a big pile - but then how would it have done it's job of nourishing the soil? Of course, it wouldn't have.
So today, I guess I want to encourage you... If you are dealing with something difficult, with your own (hopefully metaphorical) pile of poo; keep going. I think it was Winston Churchill who said: "If you are going through hell, keep going" as obviously he understood that the alternative was to stay where you are...
I know that God can bring good out of seemingly hopeless situations... He is, as stated in part one, the master recycler...
My prayer is that God will take hold of the struggles that you have and, as Rastamouse would say: "make a bad ting good".
Wednesday 16 March 2011
Always look on the bright side of life?
This morning, my children got up - and having had a brief cuddle in bed with us - went downstairs to find something more interesting to do. Halfway down the stairs, they paused, and looked out of the window. This is the interchange I heard...:
Nathan: "Look Joel, it's a lovely day."
Joel: "But there's grey clouds, and it's been raining."
Nathan: "Look, it's a lovely day; it's not snowing!"
Joel: "Ahh. It doesn't look lovely to me; but you're right - it's not snowing..."
I love it when you get to overhear a bit of what goes on in your children's heads. Especially when they don't know you're listening...
As I lay in bed, I mused about their differing perspectives on the same view.
Nathan does seem to be a die-hard optimist. I guess this is partially just down to being three, but not entirely. His outlook on life does tend to be sunny. He has a gift of being able to see the positive in things, as evidenced by the above conversation. He's also very encouraging; last week at church, I was playing the guitar and leading the worship; we sang one of Nathan's favourite songs. In the brief pause at the end, Nathan exclaimed (at classic 3 year-old volume - ie loud): "That was great Mummy, Well done!"
There's something great about receiving encouragement from someone too young to have learnt how to be economical with the truth... You know it must be genuine.
I think Nathan has probably got his positive and optimistic outlook on life from me. All that celebrating small victories has rubbed off on him I guess. I know I've said this many times before, but when you're parenting small children, you never know when the next big victory is going to come - it might be ages; so celebrating the little ones is vital for the mental health I think... "You put your socks on yourself!...HIGH FIVE!"
Joel is very much a realist. He lives in the real world at all times; and at five - going on thirty-five - you can already trust his assessment of a situation to be reliable. Joel lives in a very black and white world, and not just because he's colour blind... He doesn't like uncertainty, or maybe, or possibly, or in a bit... He likes empirical, yes/no, and today we'll be leaving at 16:38 which means we'll be staying here for another 98 minutes.
This doesn't mean that he can't be encouraging; it just means that he'll do it in his own way - and entirely in line with his view of the world. No exaggeration allowed... This does mean that any positive comment from him carries even more weight. On the day when I score 9.3 out of 10 for the evening meal that I cooked (you see - empirical!) like I did yesterday, I know that I really did do well...
I think there's a balance to be struck... Can you be an optimistic realist? I think so. I hope that I am...
And there's the thing: Hope. Not some sort of airy fairy optimism that hasn't got any roots or substance, but hope, which can look down the barrel of the difficult thing - and hope anyway, knowing that all things are possible with God. In a well known passage from 1 Corinthians 13 it says:
Nathan: "Look Joel, it's a lovely day."
Joel: "But there's grey clouds, and it's been raining."
Nathan: "Look, it's a lovely day; it's not snowing!"
Joel: "Ahh. It doesn't look lovely to me; but you're right - it's not snowing..."
I love it when you get to overhear a bit of what goes on in your children's heads. Especially when they don't know you're listening...
As I lay in bed, I mused about their differing perspectives on the same view.
Nathan does seem to be a die-hard optimist. I guess this is partially just down to being three, but not entirely. His outlook on life does tend to be sunny. He has a gift of being able to see the positive in things, as evidenced by the above conversation. He's also very encouraging; last week at church, I was playing the guitar and leading the worship; we sang one of Nathan's favourite songs. In the brief pause at the end, Nathan exclaimed (at classic 3 year-old volume - ie loud): "That was great Mummy, Well done!"
There's something great about receiving encouragement from someone too young to have learnt how to be economical with the truth... You know it must be genuine.
I think Nathan has probably got his positive and optimistic outlook on life from me. All that celebrating small victories has rubbed off on him I guess. I know I've said this many times before, but when you're parenting small children, you never know when the next big victory is going to come - it might be ages; so celebrating the little ones is vital for the mental health I think... "You put your socks on yourself!...HIGH FIVE!"
Joel is very much a realist. He lives in the real world at all times; and at five - going on thirty-five - you can already trust his assessment of a situation to be reliable. Joel lives in a very black and white world, and not just because he's colour blind... He doesn't like uncertainty, or maybe, or possibly, or in a bit... He likes empirical, yes/no, and today we'll be leaving at 16:38 which means we'll be staying here for another 98 minutes.
This doesn't mean that he can't be encouraging; it just means that he'll do it in his own way - and entirely in line with his view of the world. No exaggeration allowed... This does mean that any positive comment from him carries even more weight. On the day when I score 9.3 out of 10 for the evening meal that I cooked (you see - empirical!) like I did yesterday, I know that I really did do well...
I think there's a balance to be struck... Can you be an optimistic realist? I think so. I hope that I am...
And there's the thing: Hope. Not some sort of airy fairy optimism that hasn't got any roots or substance, but hope, which can look down the barrel of the difficult thing - and hope anyway, knowing that all things are possible with God. In a well known passage from 1 Corinthians 13 it says:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."I think God probably is an optimistic realist... What do you think?
Thursday 10 March 2011
Whirly-gig Wonders
Today I faced the age-old dilemma faced by Mums (Dads / Grans etc... other carers are available...) everywhere. Do I hang the washing out or not?
I know. Earth shattering stuff.
The sky was part blue, part white and part grey... It wasn't warm, but it wasn't freezing either. I wasn't convinced that it would stay rain-free, but it was so windy outside, I had to give it a try. It was what they call Up North, 'a good drying day'...
However, once I got the washing, pegs and rotary washing line (aka Whirly-gig) out, I realised - this was going to be no easy task...
The wind was so strong. Unbelieveably strong. More 'top-of-mountain' strong than 'random-suberb' strong... As soon as I got one thing on the line, the thing spun round and round again... I must have looked like a crazy woman; trying to hold onto the line, the pegs, and bending down to find the next sock - all at the same time.
I know that in Matthew Jesus commanded the wind and it calmed down - but I can tell you - it didn't work for me today. Apparently God was more concerned with saving people's lives in the New Testament than He was in helping me hang out my washing... Fair enough I guess. I did feel like I'd done a few rounds with Mike Tyson though by the time I'd finished. Not my most glamorous day.
I did benefit from the wind though. After a couple of hours, the sky looked threatening - so I thought I'd take the washing in - and it was already dry. Marvellous. I am in fact the Queen of Laundry...
Do I get a crown with that?
I know. Earth shattering stuff.
The sky was part blue, part white and part grey... It wasn't warm, but it wasn't freezing either. I wasn't convinced that it would stay rain-free, but it was so windy outside, I had to give it a try. It was what they call Up North, 'a good drying day'...
However, once I got the washing, pegs and rotary washing line (aka Whirly-gig) out, I realised - this was going to be no easy task...
The wind was so strong. Unbelieveably strong. More 'top-of-mountain' strong than 'random-suberb' strong... As soon as I got one thing on the line, the thing spun round and round again... I must have looked like a crazy woman; trying to hold onto the line, the pegs, and bending down to find the next sock - all at the same time.
I know that in Matthew Jesus commanded the wind and it calmed down - but I can tell you - it didn't work for me today. Apparently God was more concerned with saving people's lives in the New Testament than He was in helping me hang out my washing... Fair enough I guess. I did feel like I'd done a few rounds with Mike Tyson though by the time I'd finished. Not my most glamorous day.
I did benefit from the wind though. After a couple of hours, the sky looked threatening - so I thought I'd take the washing in - and it was already dry. Marvellous. I am in fact the Queen of Laundry...
Do I get a crown with that?
Thursday 3 March 2011
Curve-ball Questions and Winter Warmers
Yesterday I went on a school trip with Joel to Kenilworth Castle. This was good fun, although it was exceedingly cold... It was bitter, particularly in the morning when it was grey and blustery. The sun did make a valiant attempt to break through later on though; unfortunately, by the time it had had any noticeable affect on the temperature - it was time to get back on the coach... Oh well, that's life I suppose.
We had never been more appreciative of coats, hats, gloves, scarves and wellies. And for the flask of tea which I'd brought... We huddled together for warmth like penguins. Shivery doesn't cover it.
Part of the day was spent following 'English Heritage James' around different parts of the castle. EHJ had an interesting job keeping the kids interested, but he did it well; asking the children to compare the rooms / ruins we were in, with their equivalent rooms / ruins at home. The things that are obvious to adults aren't always the things children notice however - and this did lead to some slightly unusual questions and comments from the little darlings...:
"When is it lunch-time?" (When we'd just arrived...)
"If I was rich, I wouldn't have a picture of Samuel Pepys on my wall"
"Are you a doctor?"
Child: "Oak isn't wood" EHJ "Yes it is, it comes from oak trees" Child: "No it doesn't"
"Where are the horses now? Are they dead?"
"Did the princesses do any jousting?"
"I couldn't find any treacle balls..." (trebuchet - I think...)
EHJ coped manfully with the curve-balls he was thrown, considering the complete unpredictability of children and what they will ask... The children left happy, having had a brilliant day. To be honest, they were thrilled just by the coach ride there and back; so all the fun in-between was just a bonus.
Whilst looking out the window on the way home, we noticed a field of horses - also wearing their winter warmers... They had quilted coats on. You know it really is cold when the animals need clothes. I was musing with a fellow mum that maybe the horses could have done with hats, gloves or maybe ear-muffs... Oh how we laughed...
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