Hello to everyone
We are all well here in New Zealand, the sun is shinning summer is being kind to us, finally!
This week was the kids first full week back at school and boy was it a long one. By Wednesday Dominic was already complaining about having to go, asking do I have to go to school today? It would be good if he could understand that the answer is yes for the next 16 years!
But when he came home on Friday he was excited about Monday because the new and improved and much bigger school sandpit would be ready. That's why he goes to school I am sure. At school he is very well behaved his teacher told me, I wondered if she knew whose mother I was! Dominic likes to be the best at everything, and listens well and is quiet. His reading is not too bad but he gets ahead of himself when he knows the story and reads from his memory. He has started getting spelling words this year too so I'll let you know how that goes. Anything to do with "work" Dominic resists, someone must be right in there with him doing it beside him.
Jacob loves school. It is as easy as that, his favourite is maths, but is good at everything. At the moment he is reading the Harry Potter novels and The Hobbit. He enjoys mythical creatures and medieval settings. He has the play mobile with the castle and knights and all their weapons and spends a lot of time drawing pictures of these and coming up with different situations and stories. Lego is another of his favourites, this really does take up hours of his time. Some of his creations are amazing and I will try and get photo's of many of them. He has one good friend at school but is well liked by all, after school there are always a lot of kids calling out good bye to him. His teachers have always said he is very polite, considerate, patient and helpful in class to his class mates. He is very confident and has presented his work to the whole school in his assembles. He is not shy or afraid of people.
Together at home they get on well most of the time. We are quite a noisy family so shouting can be heard on most days! But I do not let them fight physically when they are angry. 'Boys will be boys' [this is a common English saying] but i think only when they are playing they can be a little rough with each other, as long as both are playing the game. But as soon as someone is angry and uses their hands that is when i stop them. But this doesn't happen much. Dominic likes to annoy Jacob the most and always has, he just has that in his character. So at the moment a lot of his discipline is to listen to what the other person is saying and if they are sounding upset, obviously he knows the difference but it is the stopping part we are working on!!
Jacob is very helpful and is taking on some more responsibilities around the house now. He is now tall enough to reach the clothes line so getting the washing in and hanging out wet togs and towels after school are his jobs. He is drying the dishes, peeling the potatoes and taking out the rubbish as well. Jacob tends to get frustrated very quickly as soon as something goes wrong or sees the negative side in something very quickly so helping him to take a breath and switch that view around to problem solving is what we talk about a lot. Not that he likes to listen to mum going on and on about that all the time!
Both boys enjoy helping in the kitchen so often in the weekends they help make cakes, muffins, biscuits and pizza dough.
We have started swimming lessons again this week. Both boys have done them on and off for a few years. Jacob is a good swimmer, he can swim many lengths in freestyle and backstroke, half a length in breaststroke and is just learning butterfly. Dominic is very confident in the water and can get himself around a lot even in very deep water, so he floats well! He will happily dive down deep and jump off a 3 meter diving board. He is now learning how to breath with his swimming strokes.
Here are a few photo's of the kids at home, playing with their Lego, riding their bikes and playing 'Star Wars' with their light sabers.
We are all well here in New Zealand, the sun is shinning summer is being kind to us, finally!
This week was the kids first full week back at school and boy was it a long one. By Wednesday Dominic was already complaining about having to go, asking do I have to go to school today? It would be good if he could understand that the answer is yes for the next 16 years!
But when he came home on Friday he was excited about Monday because the new and improved and much bigger school sandpit would be ready. That's why he goes to school I am sure. At school he is very well behaved his teacher told me, I wondered if she knew whose mother I was! Dominic likes to be the best at everything, and listens well and is quiet. His reading is not too bad but he gets ahead of himself when he knows the story and reads from his memory. He has started getting spelling words this year too so I'll let you know how that goes. Anything to do with "work" Dominic resists, someone must be right in there with him doing it beside him.
Jacob loves school. It is as easy as that, his favourite is maths, but is good at everything. At the moment he is reading the Harry Potter novels and The Hobbit. He enjoys mythical creatures and medieval settings. He has the play mobile with the castle and knights and all their weapons and spends a lot of time drawing pictures of these and coming up with different situations and stories. Lego is another of his favourites, this really does take up hours of his time. Some of his creations are amazing and I will try and get photo's of many of them. He has one good friend at school but is well liked by all, after school there are always a lot of kids calling out good bye to him. His teachers have always said he is very polite, considerate, patient and helpful in class to his class mates. He is very confident and has presented his work to the whole school in his assembles. He is not shy or afraid of people.
Together at home they get on well most of the time. We are quite a noisy family so shouting can be heard on most days! But I do not let them fight physically when they are angry. 'Boys will be boys' [this is a common English saying] but i think only when they are playing they can be a little rough with each other, as long as both are playing the game. But as soon as someone is angry and uses their hands that is when i stop them. But this doesn't happen much. Dominic likes to annoy Jacob the most and always has, he just has that in his character. So at the moment a lot of his discipline is to listen to what the other person is saying and if they are sounding upset, obviously he knows the difference but it is the stopping part we are working on!!
Jacob is very helpful and is taking on some more responsibilities around the house now. He is now tall enough to reach the clothes line so getting the washing in and hanging out wet togs and towels after school are his jobs. He is drying the dishes, peeling the potatoes and taking out the rubbish as well. Jacob tends to get frustrated very quickly as soon as something goes wrong or sees the negative side in something very quickly so helping him to take a breath and switch that view around to problem solving is what we talk about a lot. Not that he likes to listen to mum going on and on about that all the time!
Both boys enjoy helping in the kitchen so often in the weekends they help make cakes, muffins, biscuits and pizza dough.
We have started swimming lessons again this week. Both boys have done them on and off for a few years. Jacob is a good swimmer, he can swim many lengths in freestyle and backstroke, half a length in breaststroke and is just learning butterfly. Dominic is very confident in the water and can get himself around a lot even in very deep water, so he floats well! He will happily dive down deep and jump off a 3 meter diving board. He is now learning how to breath with his swimming strokes.
Here are a few photo's of the kids at home, playing with their Lego, riding their bikes and playing 'Star Wars' with their light sabers.
They are training to be jedi knights. And Jacob with his favourite thing in the world.
These first 2 are Jacob's rocket and launch pad. The second is Dominic's rocket.
This is outside our house on the road it is a great, safe place for the boys to bike.
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