Last week was a successful swimming week and this week we continued with a physical theme, but this time with the focus on family cycling. Cycling is popular in our house at the moment because my husband has long been a Tour de France fan. This year with British success in that event and in the velodrome at the Olympics, H has become very interested in cycling. Up till now though bike rides have been a bit frustrating because he has lacked stamina and has refused to cycle at anything faster than a snail’s pace. Some time ago we set him a target of cycling without assistance (apart from stabilizers) along a local road which is 1.4 kilometres long. On Saturday we went out to try this because H was keen to win another Lego Bionicle. He succeeded and we presented him with another of one of his favourite toys.
On Sunday we continued with the cycling theme by taking part in the Birmingham Sky Ride. It was a fab day out and we certainly plan to get involved next year. A Sky Ride is a great opportunity to cycle on roads that are closed to motor vehicles. I would recommend taking part if there is one near you. I also had the chance to interview Sky Ride Ambassador, Stacey Solomon, during the day. Thinking about getting a bike for me now and doing more family cycling.
Monday was the first proper day of my husband’s main fortnight off work. I took H off in the morning to do some swimming to hopefully reinforce the progress that he’s been making with that over the summer holiday. I was also mindful that he probably won’t get to go swimming next week. There were no big steps forward this time, but I’m happy that I’ve built on his confidence and prowess over the summer holidays, rather than letting him get out of practice with swimming over his summer holiday lesson break. On Monday afternoon we started the physically exhausting job of hedge cutting. This is a monster job as we have lots of hedges to cut. It’s mostly privet, but there’s also some holly, plane, sycamore and other unidentified hedging plants.
On Tuesday we went out for our regular trip (this holiday anyway to the Clent Hills. They’re owned by the National Trust and they’ve been running regular sessions for children as part of their 50 things to do before you’re 11 3/4 initiative. This week’s focus was mud pie making. As you can see H really entered into the spirit of it getting hands well and truly mucky as part of the creative process. Our mud pie was a colourful affair with lots of foliage and wild flowers to decorate it. Why not have a go at mud pie making in the garden? Afterall there’s been plenty of the main raw material around this summer.
Wednesday was a day mostly spent with Daddy. They went to the cinema with the children of a friend and the friend. I got a day to catch up with my work. Sadly the film was not a success – they went to see Brave and H found it too scary. I think it was a shame he didn’t get to see the end and see it all come out all right. This picture was taken when I asked H to pose for some shots for one of the other websites I write for. This photo didn’t make the cut for that, but I loved the thoughtful look on H’s face.
Thursday morning saw us attending our old play group, which, unusually for playgroups, welcomes older children in the school holidays. There was a large cohort from the playgroup that went to school last year (like H) and many of them were there. The ‘new year 1’ children were very well-behaved and treated the younger ones nicely. H enjoyed revisiting the toys and the routine of the morning as well as playing with his friends. In the afternoon we drove to stay with Granny and Grandad – H always loves visiting them.
Friday saw us visiting Snibston Discovery Centre. H went the other week when he was staying with his grandparents and was keen to show Mummy and Daddy around. He was pleased to get a chance this time to play in the outdoor playground as last time it had been raining so he had missed out. This picture is taken at Granny’s house playing with one of his favourite books that lives there.