Happy 9th Birthday Brandon

Yesterday was Brandon's 9th Birthday and this year he decided he didn't want a party or anything like that as he wants to have one of his friends around for a sleepover and go out bowling or something instead. So we need to get this arranged in the coming weeks. I think the real reason he didn't want a birthday party is because he has realised if he doesn't have the one then we have more money to spend on presents.

This year there was a remarkable difference in the size of Brandon's present pile with only 5-6 presents to open. But value wise he definitely had more spent on him this year than any year previous, so don't feel too bad for him! It has been a funny build up though because for a few weeks we have been really winding him up saying that I don't get paid until Wednesday so he wouldn't get any presents on his actual Birthday!!!

Anyway his main present from us was a PS4 (which means 2 in the house and hopefully the boys can now stop fighting over who's turn it is!). Then he got a drone with an HD camera, his gold boxing head guard, some West Ham slippers, the MTV Rocks music CD (which I want to steal off him!) and a pair of bluetooth headphones. From the family he has got a new PS4 headset for his online gaming, a PS4 voucher, a Ninjago lego set and a load of cash to go and spend on himself.

The poor lad didn't get much time on his birthday to play with his presents as it was a school day and then pretty much straight after school he was over James Hornsby School for a Chelsea Development game. His team lost 7-5 in the end but Brandon scored a birthday goal which was nice to see. After the football we headed over to KFC (Brandon's choice) to get a quick bite to eat - although as usual Brandon hardly ate anything.

Bee's birthday cake this year was something a little different. It has a spinner on the top which you flick around to find out what slice of cake you have. Then once you cut your slice out, written on the board underneath the slice of cake is a truth or dare that you have to complete. Needless to say we had a bit of fun with that once we got back from KFC.

Not an impressive looking pile of birthday presents, but there is a lot of money there.

Someone looks very happy on their special day.

Happy birthday to our handsome little boy.

Ripping in to one of his presents, I think this was his boxing head guard.

New West Ham slippers.

This is the drone that B got and the present he is opening is his very own PS4.

Some very cool gold coloured bluetooth headphones which he can use with his IPAD etc.

Something a little different, a Truth or Dare Birthday cake.

Brandon blowing out his Birthday candle. He had first spin and got a Dare where he had to sing the chorus of his favourite song (he chose Rapture by a band called Hurt).

Reading Time with Daddy

One thing the kids rarely ever see me doing at home is sitting down and reading a book. When you stop and think about it, it’s actually really bad given that we make sure that they all read pretty much every day and then we have to complete their school reading diaries to show what they have actually read. We always struggle to get them to knuckle down and read and then when they eventually do, I think they spend more time clock watching to see if their 15 mins (minimum we make them read) is finished.

It never really occurred to me that the boys would be more motivated to read if I actually sat down with my own book and read at the same time as them – lead by example!. I’ve never done this simply because my job pretty much involves reading all day long, albeit on a computer screen and so the last thing I want to do when I get home is sit down and pick up a book. However Tina bought me Eddie Hall’s new book for Xmas and as I started reading it the two boys were not only surprised to see me sitting down reading, but Joshua asked if he could do his reading when I do mine. This seems to work a treat and for the last few days Joshua has been asking if he can do his reading with me. This is win-win as I have been enjoying relaxing with a book and Joshua is getting his homework done with a bit less complaining than normal.

So I guess it looks like I need to start stocking up on more books that I can read at home.

Reading time with Josh and Me.

U9 Tiger's 1st Cup Game for Brandon

Yesterday Brandon’s U9 Tigers had their first ever Cup match in the South East Essex mini Soccer League. Having played non-competitive mini-soccer for 4 years + this was their first real experience at a competitive game which actually meant something. It was quite simple – lose and they are knocked out of the Cup in round 1, win and they progress through to round 2. With the competitive edge added to the game the nerves and tension throughout were at unprecedented levels and you could see the coaches, players and parents all getting so much more involved in the game.

We were playing Rayleigh Boys and on paper it should have been a relatively easy game for our Tigers. However Cup day changes clearly things and the Tigers played dreadful football and really struggled. Whether it was the nerves or the pressure, I have no idea. We were against the wind in the first half and took a promising early lead, after this we seemed to struggle to clear the ball from our own half and just before half time conceded the equaliser. To be fair to the other team they could have been 3 or 4 up in the first half had it not been for Connor (our goal keeper) who was pretty much the only kid playing his heart out (earning him MOTM).

Given how badly we had played, I was happy to come in 1-1 at half time knowing that the wind would now be in our favour. It took a while coming but half way through the second half the Tigers finally managed to get the 2^nd goal and I have never been so relieved to see us score – I really didn’t want this to go to extra time or even worse penalties!. Once the second goal was in we hung on for dear life and that final whistle couldn’t come soon enough.

So all in all a very edgy experience in our first Cup game. I’ll take the win and now we progress through to round 2 – but boy have we got to pick things up if we are going to progress further in the tournament. For the first time in my coaching experience I could really see how people emotions take over in a football match as soon as it becomes that bit more competitive.

All smiles after the Cup game win, but this was no walk in the park and heart beats were certainly racing today!

Rest In Peace Uncle Paul

This blog has always been intended to capture memories of our family as a kind of time capsule for the kids to refer to in years to come, this includes the ups and downs of life. Unfortunately today's blog is one of those downs as it is with great sadness and a tear in my eye that Uncle Paul (my brother-in-law) passed away yesterday having not recovered from a horrible stroke which he suffered in 2017.

I will always have fond memories of Paul from air shows that we went to many years ago (which he absolutely loved), from family BBQ's, Bonoween and Boxing Day celebrations. We are so grateful that despite the stroke in 2017 he was still able to join the family for one last Boxing Day to celebrate Xmas this year. He was a wealth of knowledge at times and the go to man if ever you needed a tool or some guidance/help putting in a phone extension or something like that. As a Manchester United supporter he was a little bit of an oddball in the family in terms of a football fan - but no one can be perfect. He will certainly be missed massively by the KISMET crew and I only hope he has gone to a better place and is enjoying a nice beer in heaven with Mum and Slim.

The kids have all reacted differently to the news. Joshua has taken it very badly as he did with his Nan (my Mum). This morning he was very upset and crying his eyes out saying how much he missed Paul and he also got upset a few times at school today and ended up in tears. Brandon hasn't really shown any emotional signs but has asked if he will be going to the funeral - we have told him no as we do not believe the kids are old enough. Holly has no understanding of what has happened and still thinks her Uncle Paul is getting better and that she will be able to have a sleep over at Auntie Nicky's soon.

It is times like this that I really hate the circle of life. Within our family it almost seems like recently it is a case of "one in, one out" what with the passing of Nan Pugh, Uncle David, Cousin Michael, my Mum, Slim and now Paul. The thing that tears me up the most is the thought that Paul will not get to see how the life of Zoe and Amy will play out and even more so the fact that he will not get to meet his grandchild later this year. He was so thrilled with the news that Zoe was pregnant and that he was due to be a Granddad.

Events like this really bring home just how much you should treasure every single second you have on this planet as you never know when your time is up. I have no regrets about starting our family later in life, however my absolute biggest fear in life is now something like this happening to me and leaving my own kids without a Dad and not being able to watch them grow, flourish and hopefully one day meet my own grand children.

Anyway a picture speaks a thousand words. So here are a few memories from Uncle Paul for us all to remember.

Blog Book Volume 11!!!!

Last week we received the 11^th edition of my hard back blog book which looks amazing. It just goes to show how far behind I am as this one only covers the period up to August 2016, thus I could probably order another 2 volumes to fully catch up to date. I know I always write about how valuable my blog books are to me and how enjoyable it is to sit down with the kids and flick through some of the older books. However last week the blog books came in to use for Brandon’s English homework where he had to write all about his last birthday which was nearly a year ago.

Brandon couldn’t even remember what his main present was let alone what he did for a birthday activity. So I told him to try looking on the blog and in theory he should find everything there. Within minutes he was flicking through the blog and suddenly all the memories of his new BMX and his zoo keep experience came flooding back to him. So it’s nice to know that all my efforts aren’t completely wasted and that the blogs do come in to use every now and then.

Santa Maria Dancing Update

Finally nearly a month after Christmas and Holly has got to spend her Xmas money and buy her new dancing outfit for her Santa Maria dance club. So now she is not the only one in the class wearing the old pink stuff which to be honest she had pretty much outgrown anyway. So as you can see from below the new colour since the dance school merger is now purple. I am really looking forward to the time when I can go along and watch my little H perform in some of her dance shows, I never get to see what she does at dance school and when I ask her at home she won’t show me.

Holly wearing her new purple Santa Maria dancing outfit that she bought with her Xmas money.

School Swimming Gala 2018



 

Joshua and Brandon have been very busy since Xmas with all the school sport clubs/events that they have been selected for. Between them they have athletics, cross country, football and once again both of them were picked for the school swimming team.

 

Today they had the inter school swimming gala at the Wickford swimming pool and were both in an individual race and the relay race. We couldn't be more prouder of them as they both represented their school to the highest level and performed absolutely outstanding. Joshua won both his individual race and his team relay. He put in such a strong first leg in the relay that it pretty much carried the rest of the team through. Brandon lost his individual race by a fraction and took 2nd place, but then also went on to storm his relay race with a 1st place.

 

Both boys did so well that Tina received a personal text message from the head teacher saying how proud she was of them both and how much she enjoyed watching them swim today!

Holly's Hair Bun



Holly absolutely hates having her hair tied up and normally pulls out any hair bands or clips within about 30 mins of you putting them in. However earlier this week Tina found these hair bun thingies (sorry I don't know the proper name for them) and Holly seems to really like these. In fact she likes them so much so that she wanted to leave it in when she went to bed. I think they look really smart on her and they certainly stop her hair from getting in her face all the time.

 

 

Holly's hair bun.

100% Reading Award for Joshua + Tiara Princess Book for Holly

Joshua has received two certificates from school since returning for the New Year. The first was for his 100% attendance last term and the second was a very impressive Reading Award which he got for getting 100% in his reading test. Basically the kids all have a range of reading books which they can chose from within their abilities, then once they have read the book they have to take a quiz on the book. The idea behind this is to show that they have understood what they have read and not just skim read it without taking anything in. Anyway this was the first time Joshua has got 100% for one of his books.

 



Well done Joshua getting 100% in your reading test.

 

 

For sometime now we have stopped reading bedtime stories to the two boys. They will now read on their own at bedtime or sometimes they go to bed and watch a bit of TV or play on their IPAD's for a while. However Holly still enjoys her bedtime story and her absolute favourite at the moment is her Disney Princess annual which we bought her for Xmas. The book comes with its own Tiara and Holly insists on wearing it whilst we ready the story. I've now read this book about a dozen times and am starting to get very familiar with all the Princesses!

 

Holly with her favourite Princess annual and the Tiara which she has to wear for Princess story time.

Holly's 2nd Park Run

Today Brandon had a 10 o'clock kick-off in Thundersley which meant no Park Run for him this week. However Joshua was very keen to run as he wants to get the extra training in for the school cross country plus he knows he needs to get the miles in for boxing. Since Holly also wanted to do the Park Run it meant that Tina had to do the 2k run with her as I was not available. If you know Tina at all one thing you will know is that she does not do running - at all! So I took Brandon to football and Tina took Joshua and Holly to the Park Run.

 

Joshua wore some proper running shorts today. In fact they were the blue Nike shorts that I wore for my first ever marathon nearly 26 years ago. Joshua smashed in a time of 9:53 placing 25th - very good for him as he hasn't been under 10 mins for sometime.

 

Holly ran with Tina and also smashed a new PB of 16:14 which is almost a minute quicker than on Xmas Eve. Perhaps Tina needs to run with her more often!!! This week we actually registered Holly officially with her own bar code so this will be her first recorded time for a Park Run. Holly placed 129th our of 138 runners today.

 

Holly tearing up the finish straight to take a minute off of her PB.

Joshua putting in maximum effort on the home straight and wearing my old London Marathon shorts.

Brandon's Golden Gloves & Development Boxing

So just before Xmas Brandon had a tryout at his boxing club where some 20 odd kids from the age of about 8-12 were put through their paces. The purpose of the tryout was to see who from the red foundation class was ready to move up to the blue development group. Strictly speaking the development group has a minimum age of 9 and obviously Brandon is only 8 so it didn't bode well for him.

 

However Brandon seems to have really taken to boxing and absolutely loves it. He concentrates hard, always has a smile on his face and is picking it up very quickly. With his good attitiude and the improvements he has made I am pleased to report that out of the 20 odd kids tested, he was one of only 3 selected to move up to development (and he was by far the smallest and youngest!). Needless to say I wasvery proud of him.

 

So Father Xmas kindly brought Brandon some new boxing gear for Xmas including his development club shorts and T-shirt and his golden boxing gloves which Auntie Nicky and Uncle Paul got for him. In the picture he is also wearing the gold head gear as we bought this at the same time as the gloves due to the fact tha he wanted matching colours and we didn't want to risk them running out of stock. But the head gear has been put away as a birthday present for him, he only got to try it on briefly for this picture.

 

Joshua has also now followed Brandon and started doing the Saturday morning foundation classes before going to football. Fingers crossed Joshua can learn at the same rate as B and soon also be in the development group.

 

As if all of that wasn't enough, I have also been asked by the head coach down there if I would like to get involved in a coaching role at the club. They are aware that I have been doing karate for 25+ years and that I keep in reasonable shape and are thinking they could use me to coach some strength and conditioning for the fighters. I have to say I am really excited about this opportunity as boxing is my cup of tea, As with the football coaching, I would rather get involved than just sit as an idle parent watching on the sidelines. 5 years ago I knew zip about football and I now coach/manage a team. So despite having little boxing knowledge who is to say I can't also learn to coach that.

 

Brandon sporting his new development boxing kit with his golden gloves and head guard.

Happy New Year 2018



As with previous years the boys are now old enough to stay up to see in the New Year and really enjoy watching the London fireworks on TV. Holly went to bed at around the usual time and then me, Tina, Josh and Brandon sat up playing "Beat the Parents" and "The Game of Life". We had a really nice evening which was finished off with the fireworks and then Old Langs Syne.

 

What made the New Year really special though this year was that about a minute past midnight there was the pitter patter of little feet coming down the stairs. It turned out Holly had been woken up by the fireworks which meant that for the first time ever, all 5 of us were up to see in the New Year. A perfect family pic opportunity even if we were all in PJ's!

 

Also for today's blog there are a few pictures of Joshua and Brandon showing what they had bought themselves out of heir Xmas money from Nanny and Grandad. Joshua treated himself to a new camo stunt scooter and Brandon bought himself a new pair of Nike football boots. Both of them got very good deals in the January sales. Holly hasn't spent her Xmas money yet as she wants to buy her new dancing club costume.

 



 

Joshua with his new camo stunt scooter that he bought with his Xmas money.

Brandon got his shiny new football boots.

How long will they stay looking this clean???

First family picture of all 5 of us celebrating the New Year.