It's one of those parental situations where you don't really know weather to be proud, angry or too split your sides with laughter. Out 8 yr old has been hoarding library books - all of which she's read.
It all started with a letter from the library saying books where late (my fault I've been too busy and sick to walk to the library and forgot there was the website). So we got together all her books and took them to the library - except it wasn't all her books!
Turns out she had gotten Daddy to take her to the library and had maxed her card out, then she got my parents to take her and got books out on Mary's card (which looks exactly the same). So we had a fine just under £10 and I was fuming especially as we couldn't find one of the books.
She had to earn the money to pay the fine (back to me as I paid the library - though not for my own fine (including the one I had out on Al's card - erm...).
In the process of looking for the library book we discovered that Jeany has also been getting unlimited books out of the school library, those who have been following this saga on social media will not be surprised to find out that the last count of 25 school library books has since been upped by another 5 or so. Apparently they told her she could take as many as she wants as she was checking out a handful everyday.
It is hard to be angry when a) she has demonstrated the intelligence to get around the system b) has actually read them all c) you would be the biggest hypocrite ever if you were.
Most of the books from both libraries where RL Stein - the Goosebumps Books
with a few Winnie the Witch and Jacqueline Wilson - she says she likes the Jackoline Wilson books but they all seem to be the same story and asked if her parents broke up when she was small. She loves Whinny to the point of being too shy to talk to her at the literature festival but it is the Goosebumps that are king - I know she is eyeing up the point horrors and Fear Streets but I've told her she has to read all the equivalent ones for her own age group first. She asked if my Spooksville books where by the same person but nope they are Christopher Pike!
I am finding this really interesting as they where my two favourite teen horror writers.
But still Jean's book habit is a tad insane - she has inherited Alaric's fastness for reading but my love of fiction and my obsession for always reading - she even asked if she could to town reading - I said no and felt two faced for it as I used to walk home from secondary school with my nose buried in a book.
Today is World Book Day - Jeany is sick and not at school but I hope she'll get to go in tomorrow when her school are doing their celebration. She has opted to be a Marsh Wiggle this year, from the Narnia
books which she has just finished her second read of. We love World Book Day at the household Snell-Pym 🙂
So far Jean has been Aladdin with a little papier mache lamp with a home made fairy doll in it, Moppet out of Beatrix Potter
, a dinosaur from Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs
, I think she went as Hermione or something one year - I recall she wasn't really dressed up but I had to plait her hair and she had a stack of books as part of the costume and she is a Harry Potter nut, last year she went as a Dwarf from The Hobbit
.
If she is feeling well enough we are having a read-a-thon today instead of films and I might do some book cup cakes if I get my college work to an acceptable level of completion. Although her glands are up so she maybe sadly be on soup and smoothies instead - cakes can be frozen 🙂
coughs technique for keeping my children occupied whilst I try and do the homework/tidying/work!
p.s. the World Book Day website is a good look for parents but a better look for those interested in writing especially for children.
p.p.s. Jean is also reviewing books she reads over on Orange Monster for those who are interested in either Jeany or a child's opinion on the literature out there.
I took the girls to the climbing wall today - Mary to her weekly group and Jeany to the climb she does in holidays.
Jeany helped Mary find her teddy bears and then they both hide - Mary was smiling but then scowled just as I took the photo - I thought the result was halarious!
She did her normal hiding in the tunnel and playing a squeaky form of peek-a-boo except this time her sister could climb in there and chase her!
They both played hard and then we had lunch and Jeany went off to her more advanced class, we also did art and crafts which was colouring paper plates - I seem to have enough for a small party!
I knitted a teddy bears head over lunch and may have sourced somewhere else to perform a show I am working on at the moment 🙂
Both girls like climbing so much 🙂 They are in this instance Alaric and mines Mini-Mes 🙂
Also Mary was going without a nappy - she was doing well until right at the end when she weed on my dad! But she still managed her longest time out with out a nappy on today!
Jean has finally reached an age where the cats not only don't run away from her, or only guard her/nuzzle her when she is half asleep, but actually seek her out. This includes Helium who has been skittish ever since we moved and tends not to even go on mine or Al's laps!
She keeps being 'held prisoner' by them, ie they sit on her and she finds them so cute that she will give herself cramp trying not to disturb them!
She also loves reading and believes that the cats are reading with her - they always stick their faces in the pages! The worst for this is the kitten who wont let her read!
I think everyone is happy with this arrangement!
With the weather warnings for the weekend we decided not to go to the allotment but to pot up seeds at home and place them in the propogator I have in the dinning area. The girls it turns out are both scared of worms - a bit of an issue as I am using the soil from the wormery instead of compost. Still after a while Jean began acting brave to calm Mary down and they both seemed to get into it as long as I removed the larger, wigglier worms!
We potted up so many tomato seeds that if they all grow I will be looking for homes for some of the plants! There are a few funky varieties and yellow and red cherry varieties as well as normal tomatoes. Then aubigine, chilli, pumpkin and courgette. I was hoping to get the beans in but alas I a) ran out soil, b) rain out of childrens conceptration spans and c) rain out of room in the propogator. If spring is late and everything germinates I could have a slight problem but I will deal with that when I get there!
My current plan is to get some window sill propogators for the remaining seeds. I am running slightly behind schedule as I normally do the potting up outside and wasn't expected the weather to be so rough! I dare not have the little propigator outside for fear it would take off!
I also got round to soaking the shiitake mushroom block I have - it has fruited for industry once but should have another 3 fruitings in it! I got excited as it has instructions in welsh. So hopefully we will soon have our first crop! Jean also found some bean sprouts and alfalfa and instantly wizzed off to find some jars, so we have them soaking under the sink!
I'm going to re-arrange under the sink so that I can grow the mushrooms that need the dark and the bean sprouts in there.
Domestic, Jean | sarah | 
Tue 18th Mar 2014 10:02 am | 
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