Delighted to see that Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell have achieved the rare feat of having their collaboration The Graveyard Book on the shortlists for both the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Carnegie Medal.  (Not only that, but Gaiman is on the Greenaway shortlist twice, because he also wrote the text for Dave McKean's picture book Crazy Hair.)

These ( Read more... )

Second Small Person, counting out imaginary money:

"I've got one pound, two pounds, three pounds, ONE TRILLION POUNDS!"

There we are, deficit sorted - quick, someone ring the Chancellor of the Exchequer, a child of three could solve our economic problems in one fell swoop.

While I was wrangling Second Small Person into his warmest pyjamas, which happen to be Bob the Builder ones:

Me: [singing]  "Bob the Builder..."

SSP: "Can We Fix It?"

Me: "Bob the Builder..."

SSP: "NO WE CAN'T!!!"

Resident Geek wonders why I am lying on floor helpless with laughter instead of getting SSP into bed...

You know what?  Hosting small children's birthday parties is, on a smaller scale, like childbirth.  Every time, I collapse in a heap afterwards thinking "Thank gods that's over, remind me never to do it again."  Every time, the passage of time conveniently erases my resolution, and I rashly agree to have another go; then as the Fateful Day ( Read more... )

Well, it's just as well my in-laws had volunteered to come down today and occupy the kids (lots of running around in the sun shooting First Small Person's birthday waterpistols) because the whole process took me, off and on, most of the day, but...

we have a Stegosaurus Cake!  (Pictures taken, and will be posted when I get a chance to upload...)  ( Read more... )

The curiosity of small people is a wonderful thing.  And should be encouraged at all times, obviously.

( But sometimes it fries your brain... )

Meh.  I can't quite decide what it was about Planet of the Dead...  
( indecisive burblings )

Even Proper-er Snow... about 4-6 inches here last night.  First Small Person's school closed.  FSP ecstatic. Fortunately, Resident Geek was planning to work from home today anyway, so after squeezing FSP into so many layers of clothing beneath his waterproof all-in-one that he looked like an overstuffed sausage, they dropped Second Small Person at ( Read more... )

One of the most enjoyable duties of parenthood fell to me yesterday: I got to take First Small Person to his first proper pantomime, Sleeping Beauty at the Oxford Playhouse (we'd been to a local am-dram one last year, but this was in a different league).

There was a Good Fairy and a Wicked Fairy; there were pratfalls and spurious musical numbers at ( Read more... )

The poor old Resident Geek has just spent his evening in Paediatric A&E with First Small Person, who for reasons known only to himself decided that just-before-bedtime while watching his wind-down episode of Ivor the Engine would be a good time to insert a small piece of rubber up his left nostril.

Tweezers and a sort of reverse-kiss-of-life blowing ( Read more... )