Thursday 31 January 2008

Marianne's Birthday Party - 27/1/08




Marianne's birthday party was on Sunday and all her friends & family came around to celebrate with her - we played 'pass the parcel' and ate lots of party food, including jelly!!! We have uploaded a few of the many photos that were taken and wanted to thank everyone who came and for all her lovely presents.

Wednesday 30 January 2008

Marianne's 2nd Birthday - 25/1/08
















We celebrated Marianne's 2nd birthday by going to Brighton for the day - it was a lovely sunny day - we had lunch in the Lanes (Pizza Express) followed by a walk along the seafront and along the pier, then finishing off at The Sealife Centre. Attached are a few photos from the day.

Saturday 19 January 2008

stuff

im·pec·ca·ble /ɪmˈpɛkəbəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[im-pek-uh-buhl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1.
faultless; flawless; irreproachable: impeccable manners.
2.
not liable to sin; incapable of sin.


NOTE THE SPELLING, BUMHOLE.


And, they're never impeccable. Just noisy and predominantly naughty! HOWEVER:.................


Calling a child 'naughty' can traumatise them, say experts


By SARAH HARRIS

Naughty children: An expert says it can do long-term damage to children to be branded 'naughty'

Parents should not call their youngsters 'naughty' because it damages their self-confidence, a childcare expert controversially claimed.
Annette Mountford, chief executive of the parenting organisation, Family Links, said that children's self-esteem is run down by such branding, even if they are behaving badly.
Parents must not shout at their youngsters and should only call their behaviour naughty, rather than saying they are naughty themselves.
They should also stop referring to the "naughty step" - a disciplining technique from TV's Supernanny - in case their child thinks the word refers to them.
She said misusing the word can affect the "mental health" of both the child and the subsequently guilt-ridden parent. But other family groups yesterday condemned the demands from the head of the charity, which receives funding from the Department for Education and Skills and the Department of Health.
They argued that families need to be able to discipline their children without being subjected to politically correct "clap trap".
Mrs Mountford spoke out after a National Family and Parenting Institute survey found that more than eight out of ten parents who watch TV programmes like Supernanny have found a technique such as the 'naughty step' helpful.
She told BBC Radio Four's Today programme: "I would argue that using the word naughty is the problem.
"It's fine to be firm and consistent but you call that a naughty step and the child actually calls himself or herself naughty. That's really bad for them."
Despite quizzing, Mrs Mountford, who previously worked as a health visitor for 13 years, insisted that children are not naughty in themselves.
"Children have behaviour that is unacceptable and undesirable but I think if you use the word naughty it puts the parents and child in a really different frame set, in a much more antagonistic set," she said.
Parents should say: "What you have done is very naughty, I don't like the way you behaved" but not that 'you are naughty'.
"It's a very different message and very bad for a child's self confidence and self esteem," she said.
This can reinforce negative feelings and lead to more bad behaviour.
When asked whether she had ever shouted at a child, Mrs Mountford, who has two grown-up daughters, said: "Yes, of course I have, I'm human. But golly you feel awful afterwards.
"I'm interested in the parents' mental health. When you do lose it as a parent you feel dreadful and that ruins your day, ruins the child's day. They have a rotten time at school, you do at work or home."
She said that children do not quickly forget being shouted at, insisting that it "really goes deep".
Parents should think why their children are misbehaving as those with really challenging behaviour are in "a lot of pain". They should give their youngsters a "choice and a consequence" instead of shouting.
"It's the unhappy feelings that drive difficult behaviour," she added.
But Hugh McKinney, of the National Family Campaign, said it was "nonsense" to suggest that children are not naughty.
He said: "Parents bring up their children in a wide variety of ways but to allow children to indulge in naughty behaviour and not control it causes confusion, not only to the children but also to other family members as well.
"Commonsense surely dictates that this politically correct claptrap doesn't work and it's about time that state-funded organisations like Family Links stop telling us what to do with our lives."
Family Links promotes "emotional literacy" and "relationship skills" in schools and families.


What a load of old bollocks.


I'm beginning to think that everything written online is space filling bullshit designed to do nothing more than annoy.


Including this blog.


So.


Goodbye.


Friday 18 January 2008

18TH JANUARY 2008 UPDATE


Ok, so here is the latest photograph of Marianne and Reuben taken on Wednesday 16th January at Hampton Court (it was a bit chilly!). We had a lovely walk and they both behaved themselves impecably.
Marianne is now starting to grow up quickly and likes to do everything that Mummy does and looks after Reuben too.
Marianne is getting on really well at nursery and is going up to the next class in a couple of weeks' time.
Reuben is finally starting to settle down and is now going through the night (great!). He is a lot more interested in what is going on around him and watches Marianne all the time.

Friday 4 January 2008

1ST FAMILY PHOTO


I thought I would add our 1st family photo taken by Lucy on Christmas Day.

POOR MEGAN!!!!!

Unfortunately, poor Megan is so far down the pecking order now, we (sorry, David) forgot to mention her - she is in the background of the photograph of me.

Tuesday 1 January 2008

First Posting



Hello and Happy New Year to anybody with the time to look at this family blog.


First, I'll need to introduce my fantastic family:


So, here goes:




To the left is my beautiful wife, Tanya.










Below is the most wonderful little girl in the solar system; my daughter Marianne. She likes Telly Tubbies, Crisps, Sporticus and Bananas.


And next is Reuben, our 2 month old son. He likes soiling himself and crying at night.































And, last and indeed least (by a mile), me: