So Why DOES a Giant Stand on a Box?

This week's Blog is coming to you a little late (courtesy of a mild concussion) but with a lot of love (courtesy of Little Prince). 

Little Prince has this week been trying to quantify the unquantifiable.  Namely, how much I love him.  I eventually settled for "all the way round the world and back again".   This being as much as his little brain can handle without exploding and spilling out all the knowledge he's learned so far.   In exchange, Little Prince has been trying to quantify how much he loves me.  Initially, he loved me as "big as a giant."  On production of Smarties, he loved me as "big as a giant standing on a box" and when he realised that there would be no enforced bedtime over half term, he loved me as "big as a giant standing on a box wearing a hat."  So lots and lots I think.

We've had a few power struggles in the Mummy household this week.  I must admit I've been a bit smug so far as power struggles tend to involve Prince Daddy and Little Prince while my word is law.  But this week I have been challenged on a major scale.  Little Prince has decided that HIS word overrules mine and is willing to shout/scream/whinge or cry to make this happen.  The shouts and screams have led to the "time out" step and the whinging/crying approach is suddenly of a pitch that Princess Mummy cannot hear!  Even tugging at my clothes whilst desperately trying to squeeze out at least one tear does not make Little Prince any more audible.

Princess Mummy had a complete brain fade earlier this week and took Little Prince and Little Prince's Partner in Crime to a local play barn.  Having Prince Daddy as backup made me all giddy, and I heard myself also inviting Partner in Crime's Little Bro.  Although herding pigeons would have been easier than rounding up 3 excited small boys and one overexcited Daddy and shepherding them all onto a bus, the day was, all in all, a resounding success.  On arrival, we realised that, coincidentally, all the children were dressed the same - yellow and grey made them stand out a treat!  The kids ran riot all afternoon and before long, Prince Daddy was doing his Pied Piper impression and leading scores of midgets up, down and all around the equipment-the main reason, I believe, that we weren't chased out 2 hours after arriving like the other families!

The bus ride into town was a riotous affair, with everyone excited and playing "I spy" although due to the age of our teams, I spied with my little eye, something the COLOUR of.....  Despite at least one of the players making up colours then choosing what he spied based on the suggestions offered, (pink sheep anyone?) the game was great fun and we had other passengers on the bus trying their luck at guessing.

The journey home was an all round more sedate event.  As we settled in, Prince Daddy and I furnished each of our charges with a Fruit Shoot and a tube of Smarties.  Which we promptly collected back in as each child fell asleep. 

A short walk home from the bus stop, pausing to drop off Partner in Crime and Little Bro, and we were all ready for our beds.  None of us believed the clocks as they tried to tell us it was only three o'clock!!!

Party Prince

There was no Blog Post last week as we were hosting Little Prince's Birthday Bash, but this week you can share a blow-by-blow account with us. 

Saturday morning started at 5 am - yes, five AM!!! -  with Little Prince bounding into the royal boudoir shouting "Mummy!!! It's morning and it's my birthday party and I've been 5 nearly a whole week and its my birthday party and get up Mummy!" 

With a wake-up like that it's mighty hard to get back to sleep but Princess Mummy is no novice sleeper.  Unfortunately, Little Prince is no novice waker-upper and made off with the duvet whilst emitting a battlecry any warrior would be proud of!  Thinking of our already long-suffering neighbours, Princess Mummy shot out of bed, wrestled Little Prince into dressing gown and slippers and proceeded to do her waking up whilst inhaling the vapours from the coffee maker.

50 jellies in assorted flavours later, and I was in a position to respond to the non-stop beeping of the Coven-Caller (as Prince Daddy refers to Princess Mummy's mobile phone)  As I read the texts, I wished I had read them before the grand high jelly production line.  12 of our prospective guests were cancelling - and no two had the same excuse.  I was a little annoyed, as some of the reasons were things that the parents had clearly known in advance - and one honest parent texted to say that their offspring had been invited to another party, and would prefer to go to that one! 

The worry pendulum shifting from too many guests to not enough guests, Princess Mummy began preparing Little Prince for a very lightly populated party.  He looked very serious as I explained that a bug had been going round school and some children might be too poorly to come.  As I started to feel guilty, Little Prince thought for a moment then asked "If people are too poorly to come to my party, will people still sing Happy Birthday?" I assured him that singing was guaranteed when he asked if he could have all the extra cakes and sweets if nobody came!

After all our concerns, the party was very well attended and great fun was had by all involved.  25 children came (18 of the invited plus some siblings). My worrries over food were unfounded as almost EVERYTHING was eaten! Jam sandwiches went down a treat and we returned home with 2 of the 50 jellies which we used to bribe the taxi driver to ignore the fact that Little Prince was bouncing around like a marble in a bottle!

We eventually bounced Little Prince up the stairs, into the bath and finally into bed around 7pm when Prince Daddy retired to the boudoir in preparation for the night shift ahead of him.  Meanwhile, I cleaned toothpaste off every surface, mopped the tsunami from the bathroom floor, then sat down with a big mug of tea and wrote Little Prince's thankyou letters.  After consideration it was decided that Little Prince could have an amnesty this year but from next he will be writing his own - leaving Princess Mummy more time to write blog posts such as this!