‘Twas Brillig*

I think Tux Paint, a kids drawing program, might be worth an install. Despite its name implying linux it claims to run on a large range of systems including Macs and (most importantly) Windows.

We had a day out today to Gulliver’s Kingdom (Matlock Bath, Derbyshire just over an hour away from Aldridge), it is a kids theme park and subsequently adult and child (90cm and over) tickets are all the same price, we had to pay for all three of the kids :-(. The eldest two really enjoyed themselves and want to go back, but I can’t help feeling £8.95 for a two year old who didn’t want to go on most of the rides was excessive - I can see the park’s point but a reduction for under fours would have been greatly appreciated. The site is really hilly - which we knew before we went - so there was a lot of effort exerted moving youngest and pushchair around. Next time we may go to the Milton Keynes park, despite it being nearly twice as far, it is newer and on a nice flat site.

For the third time in a year, #1 came very close to getting run over. This time he was running along a pavement close to home, on a street he has repeatedly been told to walk on, when a car which was reversing slowly off a drive bumped into him and knocked him down. Apart from a grazed ankle he is okay, I felt more sympathy for the extremely apologetic driver who was obviously well aware of the danger on his street. Hopefully he might believe us now that running on that particular pavement is dangerous.

Mario Party 5 games seem to create more tension than Mario Party 4, with 4 we used to pretty sure who was going to win before the end but now it seems anything can happen. The A-A-A-A… games are still extremely annoying.

Latest in our ever expanding collection of non-video games. This is fun since it feels like you can play it strategically (keeping my brain happy[1]) but there is enough luck that #2 has a decent chance of winning.

[1] Unlike all those fun games where you roll a dice and then move with no choice at any stage - step forward the “Bob the Builder” popmatic game - [runs off screaming into the distance] aargh!!!

#1 got this for his birthday and Mario Party 4 is forgotten. The games with computer players are a lot closer now. It’s fun to have some new mini games and better computer AI, but there are far too many games of the hit ‘A’ as fast as you can type for my taste.

Boo! I told #1 about the Mario Kart and have ended up lending it to him via Bark Mode - I hope he finds another one soon. Bark mode really is rubbish it would be so much better if the DSs maintained contact so that if, for instance, I throw frisbee #1 sees that it has been thrown, as it stands it feels like you are playing with a clone of the other dog. It destroys some of the fantasy.

With three kids I don’t just play video games, so I thought I might start mentioning the board games I have been playing. Played this with #2 (who is nearly 4) after nursery this mornig and he is pretty good at it. He needs help putting the models together, but at least he does try first instead of just demanding daddy does it. He is starting to recognize the dice numbers and count the correct number of moves - he wouldn’t believe me that going to a place that gives two bricks is better than getting 1 brick but he’ll get there.