kitastic

I have finally relented to the football mania that this country rams down the throats of anyone who ever sees any media - that includes my little boys. This past Saturday was the first, of what I feel is going to be many, 9am mornings at the rec watching parents sip tea watching their children run around after a ball. I couldn't believe how easy it was to get them out the door for a 9am start and wondered why on earth isn't it that easy from Monday to Friday? As parents we aren't that into football, its not our nations sport - we prefer to lose at Rugby and Cricket...so the boys arrived in there regular clothes, they were the only ones out of the 100 + kids that were there, and they felt a little out of place. But with some parental pressure they both finally joined in with their respective age groups for the 1 1/2 hours. If I handed out pressure for them to join in - it was nothing compared to the pressure I was then getting to buy the "kit". I didn't hear another sentance without the word "kit" thrown in for the next 3 hours. I relented and we tripped to the sport shop - football shoes £20+ each, football shorts for a 7year old £15 each!...£80 flipping quid later they were "kitted" out. Happy as pigs in mud, this was fantastic - they pranced and preened for the entire Saturday afternoon...shoes on, shoes off, shoes on, shoes off, socks folded this way, socks folded that way - how do you fold those bloody great long socks anyway? I am telling you, every day I am asked if today is the day they get to go and play football again...I have a feeling its going to be money well spent, oh, hang on I haven't paid the club registration fees yet! Rain, snow or shine, those boys are going to be fully kitted out and chasing that ball around EVERY Saturday morning.

the trouble with boys

school started this week, big move into juniors for S and O starts reception class - all very grown up. today after school we took Basti and Elliot to the playground and they were climbing the spider web, playing on the swings and whistfully watching the icecream van. Its a sunny, blue sky afternoon warm and delicious. I was training our mad dog and looked over to see Elliot screaming and running to the bench where I had been sitting. I ran over and tried to calm him - something that I am becoming accustomed to with this boy.
Incident 1: the first time he came camping with us we went riding in the forest (Unbekownst to me had just learnt to ride his bike), he came off his bike hitting the gravel hard as his bike death wobbled down the hill. Hours of screaming I wondered if he'd broken his arm, turned out he was petrified of grazes - we took him home that afternoon - age 5.
Incident 2: he was over at our house and he was running onto the deck, his foot slipped off the edge and he slammed his head into a metal chair, splitting open his eyebrown. Blood spurting everywhere, with 4 other horrified children I had to make another dreaded call to his mother and a trip to the hospital - age 6.
Incident 3: Today, age 7, Elliot was playing with the boys, he was provoked, he responded with force and then trying to escape the inevitable he was pushed while climbing over the railing. He landed flat on his face and broke both his arms!!!!!! Arrrgh - he lay on the bench bawling and wailing for his mummy. She came and we both thought it was just grazing on his face and arm(which he really doesn't like), his Mum took him to the Dr and then to 2 hospitals. Poor little Elliot, his 2nd day of school - he can't write, he can't eat, he can't go to the loo....oh I feel so so so badly for him. AND, I feel like I am jinxed looking after him, he has had too many accidents while in my care - In future I promise to be very careful and watchful and closely supervise Elliot.

I wanted this Blog to be funny renditions involving the children - there is just nothing funny about this incident. Boys play full on and as the mothers of the two boys involved said: boys will be boys, but why, oh why, do they get hurt in the process?

where to start

welcome to our family blog - where any one of us can let you know what we are, who we are, where we are what we doing & being - new adventures of the rhodes family. but its mainly for S and O to let you know whats going on for them to keep you in touch with their extraordinary lives.

This past weekend was a great one, S woke up with 2 vampire bites on his neck. We went to the local Fayre and were on a ride when a suspicious character was seen to be hanging around (see closely at picture). We decided he needed to get out the knife he bought camping last week and whittle a wooden stake to destroy the vampire. We went for a walk in Sheen Common, where we got lost and lost our dog but we found a perfect wooden stick. Sunday afternoon was spent whittling in the shade in the garden and then last night the stake was kept under his pillow. The vampire returned and was destroyed - thank goodness for that!

O says: is it for real?
I say: look at the pictures and decide for yourself

mad dog n mad cops

today was interesting - we had the burn boys over and decided the best way to get tired out, slowed down and get more wood to whittle was to go for a walk, with christie our mad dog. we were walking through the forest, busy shooting at trees n stuff with the sling shot and the cap guns - and I noticed christie wasn't around at about the same time I noticed cars slowing down. we started calling our mad dog and at about the same time I noticed a herd of nervous deer in the forest. she returned to us with adrenaline pumping at about the same time I noticed a cop car was slowly making its way off the road. i quickly made my way around a fence and called for the children to hurry up, too late they only started running when they noticed the cop car making its way towards them through the forest. yes officer these 5 children are mine, yes, I'm not from this country, yes, I own the dog. no, I didn't know she was causing mayhem and splitting herds of deer and almost causing car pile ups. yes, i'm thankful its not going to court and i'm thankful you didn't shoot her and i don't have to pay anything. yes, i'll keep her on a lead...and you can trust me, you don't have to go and watch us all walk away from that inconspicuous hiding place behind the shrubbery!

an incident like that can only be followed by a good feed of mini chocolate coated donuts.