Sunday 27 January 2013

Snowball fight

20-01-13

In the midst of the great UK snow fall of 2013 Jack has been itching to go out an play. Finally today we had some time, so we geared up and headed out. Our play lead to a snowball fight, which lead to making bigger and bigger snowballs until we destroyed the world. Then we made a snow-man, then Jack destroyed the snow-man. Then we had another snowball fight which lead to us making bigger and bigger snowballs until we destroyed the world. We then buried Jack in the snow, we tried standing first, then laying down. Laying down worked better. We then started into another snowball fight, the snowballs started increasing in size and elements of Kung-fu started to appear.
Then Jack took cover behind Helen's car where I couldn't see him. I listened and tried to pin point his location.
I tossed a snowball.
You missed, you're rubbish.
I threw another.
Nearly, but your still rubbish.
Another.
Even more nearly.
I created one of the world destroying sized snowballs and threw it. I heard a *plump*.
Jack? Did I get you.
Silence
Jack?
Silence
Did I get you?
...no.
I went to see what was up.
...got him



Sunday 20 January 2013

His new hobby

We've been on the search for a hobby for Jack for a while now. It had to be something that involved physical activity. For the last couple of summers Jack has attended football school but it was ended early last summer due to a lack of numbers. Jack was a little too young to really participate in the games and found it a bit frustrating, so he was glad when it ended and is less than keen on going back. So we put it to him, he could pick a sport and we would find somewhere he could practice it.

We looked at running, cycling, and that sort of stuff, but he didn't have much enthusiasm for those. We looked at martial arts but the local school doesn't seem very interested in new tuition. He already goes to swimming lessons once a week, but we count that more as a life skill than a hobby.

So whenever the opportunity to participate in a new sport came up we'd encourage him to try it and then examine it for suitability.
A couple of months back Jack and his Nanny came across a mobile rock climbing experience and Jack talked nanny into letting him have a go. Apparently because business was slow Jack spent over an hour traversing the wall. He came home raving about it and apparently the instructor said he was a natural.

So a couple weeks ago we arranged for Jack to have a children's introductory session at the local climbing centre. For an hour Jack climbed all over the place and had a blast. He came away with aching hands and a thirst for more. We're happy with this choice, rock climbing is just about as physically demanding as it gets, it is only as expensive as you make it and you can do it anywhere. In fact I'm kind thinking about taking it up as well.



Saturday 12 January 2013

Jack in 2013

Age: 6
Hair color: blonde
Height: 115cm
Future Occupation: Robot maker

Favourites
Color: multi-colored, he likes all the colors equally,
Game: Super Mario Bros 2 3ds
Show: Scooby-Doo
Food: Cheese and Pineapple Pizza
Toy: Mobilo
Animal: An Eagle
Friend: Finlay

Hobbies
Rock Climbing
Swim
Video Games playing and collecting.

Fond Memories
He really liked rock climbing and can't wait to go back.
Staying over at Nanny's
Laser tag party

Aspirations
Collect money and be a billionaire so that he can afford the metal he will need to make robots.
He wants to make a robot metal sonic powered by a Concord engine and send it into space.
Buy another doggy


Sunday 6 January 2013

The season of giving

Before
I'm sat here in a community centre waiting to donate a pint of blood.

I've never given blood before, to be honest I'm not even sure what blood type I have, the whole experience is a little weird. Here I am waiting to be drained of some of my life force while Jack plays Star Wars in the corner hoping that he can have some of my chocolate biscuit afterward.

Helen is a veteran donor, she's got a rare blood type and thusly tries I ensure that supply is topped up.

I'd arrived this morning expecting an empty room with medical types over enthusiastically trying to encourage a repeat visit. What I've found instead is a mobile clinic jammed full of donors. The NHS Make it sound like the have such a hard time getting blood donors that Monty Python style blood collections are just around the corner.

After
She stuck the straw like needle into my arm and asked, 'How does that feel, alright?' I wasn't sure how to answer.

About three quarters through the letting my machine started complaining that I wasn't bleeding fast enough. So I was instructed through a bunch of exercises to do to help encourage blood flow. Apparently the machine calls it quits after fifteen minutes wether you've given the full pint or not.

I managed to fill the bag and was bandages up and sent to the replenishments table where Jack ate my cookies. I'm under strict instruction to take it easy for the rest of the day, and to make sure I eat an drink plenty. I don't think that'll be a problem.

All in all it was an interesting experience and I have every intention of doing it again in four months. In fact, I think I might make this a Christmas tradition.

Can we have your liver? - John Cleese