Busting for a Hamster Part 2.

And so it was decided that Dru's senses were becoming just a little too attuned to the hamster cage.... "busting for a hamster" didn't even begin to describe her.  Even worse was Dora's curiosity about the noises coming from the side of her cage. Little did our little Hammy understand that the twanging noise was the sound of Dru's claws plucking the bars like a guitar.... even the odd nip from the sharp teeth of Dora did not dissuade Dru from stalking the cage like Elmer Fudd ..... she didn't quite say "be vewy vewy qwiet.... I'm huntin' hamsters" but may as well have done.

 Finally the decision was made for Dora to have a new and more cat proof cage and after a lot of looking around we finally settled on this - the Rotastack Space Command home for spoilt hamsters. Let me tell you that putting this cage together is no picnic and the air was blue by the time I'd finished - but finally I was able to introduce the cage to both Dora and Dru. Dora was impressed and Dru was perplexed. 

While Dora explored using all her senses Dru explored too using all of hers...... yet no matter how she looked and sniffed and listened she could not find an entrance to the cage and only minimal bars to twang

...... and so she gave up and lounged on the floor looking fabulous.

....before wandering off to the bedroom where found the quilt on the floor because I hadn't got around to re-making the bed.

And Dora the Explorer is now safe and J is happy. He loves Dru and he loves Dora.

Ballet shoes (or not as the case may be).

J's hands and feet show a degree of hyperflexion which make some tasks difficult for him but which as I constantly remind him do not stop him trying. One of the things the paediatrician who saw J was certain about was that he would never make a ballet dancer - a fact which was no surprise to me given J's clumsiness. This fact was also a considerable relief to his Ba-pa in Wales who dreaded any idea of J becoming the first male dancer in the family.

So - just after the school returned to normality last week J returned home with a printed flyer about dancing classes to be held in the assembly hall every week from 3-4.... and J wanted to go. Naturally he did not want to attend last term when they were free but this term when they are £20 (which for 10 weeks of lessons is not bad) he does want to join in - typical. And so last night J attended the first class and I waited for him to return home saying he had hated it.

 I returned to the school to collect J several minutes early and this gave me a bit of time to watch the dancing class through the window. Many of J's classmates were there and a surprising number of boys too who were  naturally all competing to outdo each other in the  dance session. I noted that M who is J's little girlfriend was there too.... and partnered up with J - holding his hand and giving him a prod now and then to ensure that he kept up with the routine.

J appeared to be thoroughly enjoying the session and the only blip was when a loud part of the dance came along which involved shouting and clapping. When this bit came I observed J fall to the floor with his hands over his ears to protect them from whatever sound was bothering him. M didn't blink an eyelid and merely danced round J - stepping over him and continuing with her bit of the routine - evidently she is used to his funny little ways.  After a few moments and when the noise had subsided J was up and taking part again - it was good to see him happy and enjoying the rhythm of the music.

The dance teacher says that J has good rhythm and that within a few weeks he will know the routine (and I am certain M will make sure he knows it too). For his co-ordination it will be great - he needs to both watch and listen to learn the routine which will require a certain amount of concentration. Only good can come from this activity and I will be watching how he does to see if there are external benefits in other areas..

And just for his Ba-pa  if he reads this there is a picture below,

Hope

for good news about my auntie.

A Walk in the Snowy Park

And so the snow continues here and J's school remains closed. This has the knock on effect that I cannot get into work although I went in with J yesterday to be sent home again as J cannot sit in the doctors surgery due to the current Swine Flu epidemic.
So today we went for a walk in the park and it was beautiful. I stopped my moaning about the weather and took in the beauty of it all instead - even the so called "sink estate" I live on is improved in appearance by the white glistening snow which has fallen  in the past few days.

J discovered that frozen puddles feel nice to skate on.......

  ..... and that snow is slippery when there is ice underneath

                                      

We went to the park where J was delighted to discover that he was the only child there and had the playground all to himself. So fun was had on the swings..................

.............. and on the slide too. Later we tried to build a snowman but found the snow too dry and powdery to build with.

After the walk we went home to a warm, purring bundle of feline contentedness and to hot chocolate and a warm house.

                      

Frazzled

What a day.... alarm at 06.40am but Dru woke me at 5,40am to let me know she was hungry and needed feeding - staggered downstairs into the freezing kitchen, put kettle on, fed Dru, wandered into icy living room, checked hamster cage - no she still hasn't eaten her way out beyond my repair job. Switch on plug in heater and after a cup of coffee decide to wake J and prepare him for the fact that although we have a dusting of snow it has not yet reached "school closure" proportions. J reacts predictibly with a half acted, half serious meltdown - there are a few tears but very few, these increase however when E's Mum phones to say E will not be going in.  Help J with dressing, decide he needs wellies and not shoes for the snow, bundle him up in his coat but cannot find gloves anywhere - have bought at least 3 pairs this year but all have vanished. Get J to school, school path is full of children saying "oh no it's open" in disappointed voices. J runs into the playground and despite no gloves promptly gets involved in a snowball fight pausing only to come and warm his hands by shoving them up the back of my jumper. Cold hands on warm skin - nice.
Thankfully Mrs M opens the classroom door early, at this point I realise I have forgotten J's shoes and so Mrs M tells him to get his PE shoes from his PE bag, I then remember that J's PE shoes are at home as he wore them after his school shoes split last term - realise I am a very shoddy mother. Rush into town to pay bills and buy a pair of PE shoes, attend GP appointment where I agree with Dr M that I am fit enough to do the 5k run in March if I train for it, Dr M tells me the key is not to train for the 5k, do the 5k and then stop exercising and that exercise is beneficial for emotional health too!
Go back to J's school to take in shoes and apologise for the fact that J may well have been in socks all morning. School tell me that due to snow they have decided to shut the school from 1pm - it is now 11.30am. Rush to Asda and get the shopping, no £1 coin for trolley, queue at customer services for coin, grab trolley and get the usuals - plus washing powder as have run out. Get shopping home and bring it up to the flat in two journeys, then return to the school and collect J who is overjoyed to be going home.
Take Paracetamol for headache....
Make a curry from the leftover casserole and enjoy seeing J eat sweet potato while not realising it's sweet potato as it's mixed in with curry - J pronounces it "yummy".
Watch snow reach blizzard proportions and realise that J is not likely to be attending school tomorrow  - ring Mum who comes to the rescue again - of course she will have J while I work. Thanks Mum.
Get in bath for nice relaxing soak - within 15 mins am joined by J who bangs bathroom door open, strips off clothes and climbs in with me (oh well the first 15 mins were nice).
Back downstairs I watch as the hamster eats her way through my repair job to her cage and squeezes herself out through the hole - Dru watches with interest but can do nothing as I am there. Put Dora in her ball and make another repair to the cage.
Check electricity to see the plug in heaters have taken nearly £5 in cost over the past 24 hours leaving just over £5 in credit - a trip to the top up shop tomorrow if the weather is okay and I can get there. Yet another bill and extra expense I really don't need.
It's freezing here (apparently going to be -6 tonight) and storage heaters are even more expensive than the plug in heaters - dig out hot water bottles, add blankets to the bed - put plug in heater on low and shut bedroom door. J will sleep in with me again tonight and at least I will know he is warm. Not looking forward to tomorrow when today's snow will have turned to ice.

Bed times and Dramas

I have posted before about J's total and utter sensory seeking approach to falling asleep. This has got worse with his increasing interest in the Cartoon Network and Ben 10. For those not initiated into Ben 10  a quick explanation is that one day Ben finds a mysterious wrist watch type device called an Omnetrix which attaches itself permenantly to his wrist and gives him the power to transform into various aliens all with a variety of superpowers and thus save the Earth from whatever impending doom it is facing at any given time.
J now has his own Omnetrix bought when J carried on and on and on  during a weak moment in Sainsbury's toy aisle.
Christmas made the situation worse when a close friend (thank you S) bought J a boxful of Ben 10 aliens and various attachments for his Omnetrix. Now each evening when I put J into bed, wrap him securely in the duvet and kiss him good night he settles for all of 2 minutes before leaping form the bed and creating a variety of bumps and squeals while saving the Earth. Aaaagggh!
Threats and pleas to calm down and go back to bed fall upon deaf ears and usually at least 2 hours of "earth saving" go by before J's goal is achieved and mankind can sleep safely in their beds once more. At this point J usually settles down with a sigh and a book and at this point may fall asleep ....... unless the earth is threatened once more when he summons up the energy (just HOW does he manage this I am unconcious by 9?) to defeat them once more.
So - this week J is back at school, this week I have to try and get J to fall asleep at an earlier hour as the lie ins are finished until next weekend. So - this week I will be taking a tired little boy to school most mornings - the school will achieve wonders with J every morning but by afternoon he will be finished and tired with no energy..... until bedtime.