My 3 year old's in love

This morning, my 3 year old announced that he was "in love" with a girl at his pre-school.
"Do you love her more than Mummy? I asked.
"Yes!" he said.
I should never have asked.

A Poem

Here's a poem written for the kids in honour of our dog!

Our dog

Our dog is stout and fearless,
He’s never, ever scared.
He’s the leader of the pack
No dog can be compared.

He’s not afraid of dragons,
Or pits of poison snakes.
Or monster dogs with fangs;
They never make him quake.

He could wolf down any wolf,
Or guzzle up a bear,
Or scoff a shark for supper,
Our dog – he wouldn’t care.

He’s brave as any lion,
No canine could give more.
His heart is made of iron,
He’s a chocolate Labrador!

Jeremy Vine's bedtime Stories

Did you listen to Jeremy Vine's bedtime story feature on BBC Radio 2?

He ran a poll to discover the best bedtime story and The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson won. I voted for The Gruffalo and I'm really glad it won. I think it's a fantastic children's story and one which is sure to become a classic. I fully expect my children to be reading it to their own children when the time comes.

My only gripe with the poll was that the books were not really comparable. My kids at 6 and 3 love The Gruffalo and love some of the other books featured such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and they both enjoyed Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet & Allan Ahlberg when they were a bit younger.

But we haven't yet reached the Enid Blyton Famous Five stage (although I loved them myself) and they're certainly not ready for The Lion,The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis. And even though they love Roald Dahl films, they are still very much at the picture book stage.

So three cheers to the Jeremy Vine show for highlighting some quality children's literature. Just a shame that it had to be in competition format. It was a bit like watching sprinter race against a marathon runner!

The things they say...

Another funny one today... O's friend J came for tea.
On the way home from school he said he could see a badger in the hedge.
I tell them that badgers only come out at night.
"What do you call an animal that comes out at night?" I ask.
"A reindeer!" J shouts.
Oh well - I guess it is getting close to that time of year!

The things they say

This morning, O (my 6 year old) was feeling cold but did not want to go back upstairs to fetch his dressing gown.

He tried everything to make me go for it.

In the end I insisted that he go himself, "I'm not your slave!" I told him.

At which point, D (my 3 year old) looked at me and said, "So who's slave are you?"

Good question!

Oscar comes home

Finally, after a very long and nervous week of waiting, our dog is home!

Two and half years have gone by since we last saw him and we are all delighted to get him back.

My initial reaction was that he was looking a bit older, a bit fatter and had a few more grey hairs... but then I realised he was probably thinking much the same about me.

He seemed a bit confused when I first collected him but it didn't take him long to remember me and when he arrived at our house, he ran straight to the back door.

He seems to be very much at home and in some ways it's like he's never been away.

I have to say I am delighted to have him back. He's brought a huge burst of happiness into our home.

The children are really delighted and have completely fallen in love with him. O does remember him slightly, but D doesn't - although he's seen so many photo's of him he has a sort of 'false' memory of him.

They are constantly calling him, stroking him and playing with him... and because he has such a lovely placid nature - he's loving all the attention.

Hubby raised his eyebrows slightly on first seeing him, but then grinned. I think he's pleased. He looks pleased, but says, "I'm just happy that you're happy!"

I regret giving him away two years ago. It feels like a mini-miracle has occured to bring him back into our lives; but if we'd had him here all along, the kid's would have just grown up with him and taken him for granted. Getting him back, like a new dog, now that they're old enough to appreciate him is really special, and to see how kind they are to him and how easily they have fallen in love with him makes me feel really proud of them both.

My step children will be here this weekend. They remember Oscar well and have often said that they missed him. I know they will be delighted to see him again and I'm really looking forward to seeing the happiness on their faces when they see that our dog Oscar has finally come home.

My dog ... the latest...

Well he's still languishing in the kennels. I called yesterday fully expecting to hear that he had been collected by his new family - but no - he was still there waiting.

I've filled hubby in on the details and told him that I've said we'll have him back if his new family no longer want him. He gave a forebearing smile. The kind that said, "The things I have to put up with!" But importantly, he didn't say I couldn't have the dog back.

I've yet to tell the kids. There's still a chance that the new owners will collect him and I don't want them to be disappointed. I did ask them if they remembered him and they did - but only vaguely - and I think their memory is more to do with the pictures of the dog rather than the dog himself.

They have to keep strays for seven days before they can be re-homed so apparently I can collect him tomorrow morning if he's still there.

Already I'm wondering whether he will have changed. After all - I have no idea what his life has been like for two and a half years. He had such a friendly personality. I hope he's still the same.

Also I'm hoping that my kids will love him again. I'm dreading O saying he's scared of him or something like that. Labradors are quite big dogs after all.

The worst thing of all is that I've set my heart on getting him back now. If his new owners do collect him I'll be so disappointed.

Oh well - only 24 hours to go!