365 | TheBoyandMe

365 #51

December 21, 2013 by TheBoyAndMe 5 Comments

10 days left! Make the next ten days a complete whirlwind of family time, snap the magic moments for they will be the ones you treasure the most. This time is the hardest to remember to post, but it's the most worthwhile of the whole project, so… keep snapping!

The 365 linky only works because of people linking to it and then contributing their thoughts to others' posts via comments. I can't emphasise this enough, it's the whole point of the linky!

Join in by entering the URL of your favourite photograph of the week (either a 52 or a 365 photo) and show some comment love to everyone else in the community. We've got a Facebook group, and now I've created a collaborative Pinterest board (if you'd like to collaborate, let me know and I'll add you).

Choose your favourite photo from the past week and link it up below.
Please add the badge to your linked-up post so that other people know how to find all the other fabulous entries.
If you can spare five minutes to comment on a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!

Days 349 – 355 of Project 365

December 21, 2013 by TheBoyAndMe 24 Comments

Days 349-355 of Project 365

349. MONSTER BINGO (… is the phrase that needs to be shouted out by the winner of the latest Orchard Toys game we're reviewing. I love the exuberance on his face here.)

350. Daddy Does Craft (This is not something which happens often in our house, in fact he groaned when I asked him to do this activity, "Homework; yes. Reading; yes. Craft; NO!" However, it was a super easy activity from Toucan Box with ~~idiotproof~~, fo~~olproof~~, comprehensive instructions.)

351. Intent (Watching his video message from Father Christmas via the Portable North Pole app, he was enchanted with the whole thing. Every time Father Christmas said his name, he nodded eagerly and smiled.)

352. Dear Miss… (Making his Christmas cards for his teachers, the effort was immense but he made a super job of it.)

353. Bedtime Reading (New pyjamas and books sent from Marks and Spencer for a bedtime reading project. I love seeing him in old-fashioned pyjamas, he looks so cute!)

354. Hungry (For a few months now we've visited our local nature reserve once a week to feed the swans, our confidence has grown as has their hunger. Yesterday they were starving, and with it a little bit nasty. For the first time, I felt nervous feeding them in the slipway area; one of them hissed at The Boy and flapped his wings, another pecked my hand. We walked up to the boardwalk as they can't manage it and it forces them into the water to have the bread; more controlled you see! Within thirty seconds of us being at the board walk, the 40+ swans had worked out what was going on and swum around to feed on our stale offerings.)

355. Best Buddies (We ventured to Tredegar House near Newport today to see Father Christmas in his grotto. Normally we go to Cardiff Castle but it was completely sold out weeks in advance, so we decided to try here in their first year as a National Trust property. The Boy was over the moon to see the Big Man himself, and the room was dressed so beautifully! He walked in cautiously, took one look at him and ran at him to give him the biggest, most heartfelt cuddle I've ever seen which was received warmly. Unfortunately the photo is too blurred to share as a 365, but it was a wonderful sight to see. And all for only £2.50.)

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365 #50

December 14, 2013 by TheBoyAndMe 1 Comment

The 365 linky only works because of people linking to it and then contributing their thoughts to others' posts via comments. I can't emphasise this enough, it's the whole point of the linky!

Choose your favourite photo from the past week and link it up below.
Please add the badge to your linked-up post so that other people know how to find all the other fabulous entries.
If you can spare five minutes to comment on a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!

Days 342 – 348 of Project 365

December 14, 2013 by TheBoyAndMe 18 Comments

Days 342-348 of Project 365

342. Reach For The Stars (We ventured over to Cardiff Bay to the Christmas Food Market set out in the old dock basin. There were a few small, fairground rides there and The Boy relished the opportunity to try out this jumping trampoline ride thingy. I love the silhouette against the stormy sky.)

343. Burp (Reviewing a game sent to us from Orchard Toys, The Boy found it very amusing that the gorilla burps after feeding it junk food!)

344. My Little Star (This is The Boy performing in his first Christmas concert. I took photographs of him walking up and down onto the stage that showed off his costume better, but this is the picture that I love because of the sincerity on his face, filled with the effort of getting it right. I'm so proud of him for fully taking part as he was so petrified during the Harvest service he could only cope with standing on the stage.)

345. Homemade Gifts (I've written in the past about the significance of giving teachers presents to acknowledge their hard work, I decided that we'd make some lovely ornaments for The Boy's teachers and LSAs. With four teachers to buy for, and additional Reception staff, it would never have been cheap and I don't know enough about them to buy a worthwhile present. I thought Christmas tree decorations would be a good idea as they're resuable and show care and attention on his part.)

346. RUDE! (Our weekly trip to feed the swans saw an extremely cheeky seagull swoop in to grab a stray piece of bread lying on the boardwalk. The Boy was incensed!)

347. Wriggler (A busy day Christmas shopping with my mum in Cardiff, taking The Boy to a classmate's house for tea and then me swanning off to Cardiff Bay saw me sneaking a last minute photograph of a wriggling Boy in his sleep.)

348. Family Days Out (On a day when the blogging world is remembering a special blogger and her legacy of Family Frolics, it seemed very fitting to me that we spent the day with extended family; my brother and his family. I'd bought Mr. TBaM a segway driving experience for his birthday and we finally redeemed it with my sister-in-law joining him on a device which I would be useless on. My brother, niece, The Boy and I explored the other adventure activities possible in the centre and made a vow to come back and try the zip wire out when the children are a little bit older. We finished off the day with a lovely meal in a newly-opened restaurant nearby. A wonderful family day out.)

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365 #49

December 7, 2013 by TheBoyAndMe 2 Comments

3 weeks left of the project and 3 weeks left of 2013; what will the next 24 days bring you?

The 365 linky only works because of people linking to it and then contributing their thoughts to others' posts via comments. I can't emphasise this enough, it's the whole point of the linky!

Choose your favourite photo from the past week and link it up below.
Please add the badge to your linked-up post so that other people know how to find all the other fabulous entries.
If you can spare five minutes to comment on a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!

Days 335 – 341 of Project 365

December 7, 2013 by TheBoyAndMe 24 Comments

Days 335-341 of Project 365

335. Poser (Today saw our local pier pavilion re-open after extensive building work to renovate it, mostly funded by local people and organisations, along with a National Lottery grant. We went down for the opening and also a charge around in the brisk, Winter air before heading off to a classmate's party.)

336. Poet Laureate (After school The Boy picked up the notebook that he'd had in the party bag the previous day and started writing in it. I love that he loves to write, and that he's started making little notes. I look forward to the day when I find a book full of made up stories.)

337. Big Moment (The Boy always puts the star on top of the tree, and I always have to correct it afterwards; it's a heavy star that goes on a spindly 'twig'. I love the look of anxiety on his face!)

338. Bed Fellows ('Puntsey' has been a regular bed companion since Children In Need, Oliver Monkey doesn't mind as it means they can share watch duties alongside having plenty of cuddles from The Boy.)

339. Bird Man (We went to feed the swans after school; it was just as well we did because they were starving! The minute we slammed the door shut in the car park, they were clambering up the ramp. We got to the entry gate and they were standing there waiting for us! I deposited The Boy on the boardwalk as it forced the swans back into the water to be fed.)

340. Double (I set up a free craft table after school for The Boy and let him create freely. I adore his double chin in this photograph!)

341. Plees (We went to Dyffryn Gardens today to enjoy the Christmas craft fair; the first to be held there in over two decades. I used to go regularly as a child and it's a special venue to hold one. There was a table set up to write letters to Father Christmas, so The Boy sat down and wrote one all by himself.)

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365 #48

November 30, 2013 by TheBoyAndMe 3 Comments

31 days left, just one month remaining of the project!

The 365 linky only works because of people linking to it and then contributing their thoughts to others' posts via comments. I can't emphasise this enough, it's the whole point of the linky!

Choose your favourite photo from the past week and link it up below.
Please add the badge to your linked-up post so that other people know how to find all the other fabulous entries.
If you can spare five minutes to comment on a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!

Days 328 – 334 of Project 365

November 30, 2013 by TheBoyAndMe 19 Comments

Days 328-334 of Project 365

328. Twelve (It was our twelfth wedding anniversary today, but we weren't in the mood for traipsing around our wedding castle on such a cold and dreary day, so we took a trip over to Cardiff Bay instead and had lunch in Pizza Express followed by bowling. This tongue of The Boy's is ever present at the moment, it's getting a bit ridiculous!)

329. Tongue Twister (We've started to make our Christmas cards and look what made an appearance during a moment of concentration.)

330. Splat (More Christmas cards!)

331. Sucker (I'm not sure who was the biggest sucker this evening at dinner; The Boy with his pasta or if he thought I was. Not a good evening meal with him throwing up after one spoonful of bolognese. He had been determined that he didn't want the bolognese as it would make him sick, but was fine with the spaghetti. The second he had a spoonful of mince he made himself gag and then lo and behold threw up. I was furious with him, and after he'd been cleaned up he was sent to his room for five minutes, before being given the choice of eating his dinner or going to bed hungry. He chose to eat his dinner. I am not a completely horrid mother though, I did remove the bolognese so he had plain pasta.)

332. Tech Expert (I received a promotional Christmas card with a small screen and a motherboard with a nationwide supermarket's Christmas advert on it. When they'd asked me if they could send me a little something for Christmas, this was not what I had in mind. We stripped the card covering off and The Boy investigated the different computer components in it; at least it was useful for something!)

333. A Letter (The Boy came home from school to discover that his magic elf door had opened while I was getting him and someone had left a letter for him. A note from Edward the Elf saying how he'd been looking forward to seeing him again, it was magical to see The Boy remember who Edward was. More magical than that though was seeing The Boy read the entire letter by himself; I was so proud.)

334. Getting Bigger (We met up with my brother and his family at the museum and took part in a ice age workshop making a Christmas card at the end of it. Afterwards we went and had a go one a few rides at the Winter Wonderland which occupies the space in front of the Civic Centre for December. This is the first time that The Boy has gone on a carousel on his own!)

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365 #47

November 23, 2013 by TheBoyAndMe 3 Comments

Oh my word, #47? Means we have just five weeks left of Project 365 for 2013. Hopefully some of you are thinking about continuing on, this forthcoming month will capture some truly magical moments and show the worth of the 365 Project to Family Bloggers.

The 365 linky only works because of people linking to it and then contributing their thoughts to others' posts via comments. I can't emphasise this enough, it's the whole point of the linky!

Choose your favourite photo from the past week and link it up below.
Please add the badge to your linked-up post so that other people know how to find all the other fabulous entries.
If you can spare five minutes to comment on a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!

Days 321 – 327 of Project 365

November 23, 2013 by TheBoyAndMe 22 Comments

321-327 of 365

321. Catch A Leaf (We went into the garden to rake up some of the leaves that have fallen from the cherry tree, which of course led to throwing and catching them! Mr. TBaM and I decided to try and stage the perfect falling leaf photo, it didn't quite pan out how I wanted to as The Boy kept sticking his tongue out, scunching his neck, closing his eyes and everything else in between. In the end this photo actually is perfect to me as I like Mr. TBaM's hand and foot in it, it adds to the moment.)

322. Taking A Break (The Boy threw up in the bathroom at 8.30 this morning which meant he had to stay home from school. Of course he wasn't sick afterwards, he'd just forced his breakfast down and has a strong gag reflex! I'll admit that I lied to the secretary and said he had a temperature, because if I'd said about the sickness she'd have made him stay off for two days, and I'm already in the amber category for attendance! I made sure he did plenty of reading, writing and learning through play to make up for being off school, this was a silly moment we were having in the kitchen when he was pretending to be a baby crawling!)

323. Pinner (I nipped up to town to buy some sausages for dinner, and perused the seven charity shops while I was there. This pin-art-thingy was in one for £1.25 and is one of the best toys he's got at the moment!)

324. Relaxing (All these play activities on other blogs featuring a tuff-spot, and I bet none have them used as chill-out and t.v. watching zone!)

325. Petrol Head (We've been sent some marvellous and limited edition Lego cars to highlight a promotion in Shell garages at the moment, The Boy has never tried proper Lego before and after a fraught first attempt we managed to make the cars together, he now adores them and now we just need to race them!)

326. Scareswan (We went to feed the swans at the local nature reserve and it was obvious they were very hungry as they all came flocking. Once we'd gone through out half a bag, they decided to investigate The Boy's pockets so he stood still like a scarecrow to scare them away.)

327. Who's There? (This morning I set up The Boy's magic elf door from The Magic Door Store, scraped the ice from the back of the freezer and sprinkled some elf dust. When he came into the living room and discovered it, he was completely captivated and we proceeded to watch it for twenty minutes in silence to see if anyone would come through. During that time he saw a hedgehog poke his prickles through, and a Christmas Mouse, but hasn't remembered Edward the Elf will be visiting. We're going to have great fun leading up to 1st December when Edward will make his appearance!)

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