Polly

Good grief, somehow I have become the mother of a teenager! But he spent most of the day playing an updated version of Elite ('80s computer spaceship game, for you young 'uns) and this evening we had pizza and family video night - his choice: the Winnie the Pooh Heffalump movie. I think we're going to be all right! :-D

Also, the following exchange occurred:
frodo_lad (slightly disgusted tone): All your presents are books! (Not *quite* true, btw - other presents included a game download and a Pusheenosaurus)
prince_eldarion: I really like books! :-D

A real land-mark day - prince_eldarion, aged seven-and-a-third, has just played his first D&D session :-)

Inspired by kargicq's starting his children off role-playing, skordh dug out our old D&D rulebook. El spotted it and was interested enough that he has been reading it for the past few nights for his bedtime reading! So after school today, Skordh helped him generate a character, plus an NPC friend, and then ran a little encounter for him. Unexpectedly, when coming across some hobgoblins robbing the village, El chose to talk to them rather than wade in and fight, and succesfully negotiated with them! Not at all the path I would have thought he would take :-) #proudmummy

In other news, to mark World Book Day, yesterday the children were asked to bring their 'favourite book' to school (admittedly 'favourite' is something that fluctuates over time.) El chose to take in Diana Wynne Jones' Power of Three, an excellent choice and one that I know his godmother will approve :-) frodo_lad (four-and-a-half), rather to the consternation of his Reception-class teacher, brought in The Hobbit to show her. "It has hardly any pictures at all," he remarked proudly :-) (No, he isn't reading it himself yet, we are reading it to him. He does have to go to the Year 2 book-boxes to get his reading-practice books, though, so it might not be too long before he is! El *is* reading The Hobbit to himself, when he isn't reading D&D rulebooks. His reading book of choice at school at the moment is the encyclopaedia. "We aren't really supposed to read it," he confided to me. "we're supposed to choose a book from the box, but [my teacher] lets me, as a special treat!")

Tonight marks exactly 20 years since skordh and I started going out :-) Which means, scarily, that Skordh has been going out with me for longer than he hasn't, being still (just!) a teenager(!!!) when we first began dating. Of course, that milestone is further away for me, cradle-snatcher that I was ;-)

Hopefully the boys are settling down to sleep so we can get the candles out and have a little anniversary dinner. Although to recreate the authentic atmosphere I should buy a Taruithorn poster from him, then sit around for hours drinking coffee and chatting while Skordh puts off writing an essay due the following morning :-D

Happy Epiphany!

As the Christmas season comes to an end, and given my general lack of updates over the year, it doesn't seem quite too late to post the end of the year meme, which might cover some of what we've done this year :-)

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Scene: ext. The road to school.

prince_eldarion: Hey, look, someone's done some... what do you call that naughty painting again, Mummy?

jane_somebody: You mean graffiti?

prince_eldarion: Yes, someone's done some kerfeety on that post-box!

I'm definitely going to be calling graffiti Naughty Painting from now on :-D

My 4-year-old and 6-year-old are currently fighting the Vashta Nerada that live in the book-nook by casting 'lumos maxima' on them :-D

There is a cat who may or may not be ours. She belongs (belonged?) to a friend's neighbour, but neighbour is now unable to look after her; friend has been feeding her etc but unfortunately is allergic to cats so can't take her on herself. So long story short we have said we are willing to take her, and friend's neighbour has apparently expressed desire that we should pick her up as soon as possible.

So - what do we need to get/do? I'm already asking local friends for vet recs, as I want to get her checked up as soon as possible (she has recently had kittens, despite being very young herself, friend thinks only about 10mo at the time, so about a year-old now. Obviously we will get her spayed.) And we'd want to do the microchip thing of course. I assume we need a transporting basket thing, litter tray, possibly bed, scratching post - what am I forgetting? Does anyone (bunn?) have opinions on good food?

Other than keeping her indoors for the first three weeks, are there any other tips about settling into a new home?

Thanks for all help!

Overheard today in the Somebody household:

frodo_lad: "Mummy, I am a baby mantelpiece."

Me, thinking back to the episode of 'Deadly 60' prince_eldarion was watching before school: "Do you mean a baby praying mantis?"

:D

frodo_lad: "I'm sorry, Mummy, I've lost Jesus down the back of the sofa."

This was the small cloth baby Jesus from our velcro-on Nativity scene Advent Calendar, who was due to be put in the manger today. Happily skordh was able to fish him out from behind the sofa with a long stick, so the Christmas story was able to proceed to its familiar conclusion.

I'm sorry I haven't posted for such a long time, I hope to do more from now on. Appropriate festive wishes to all my flist!

Pah. NHS website says I have swine 'flu. Of course it might be wrong, since as a diagnostic tool it seems a bit of a blunt instrument, but whatever it is it does feel rather like being hit with a ton of bricks :-(

One day there will be a proper update in this journal (I have all sorts of notes and drafts for one) but today is not that day...