New Year's Eve

General 

Elliott was really good today. 

Activities

In the morning we got our hair cut and then we went to Smyths Toy Superstore to have a look round. We went to MacDonalds for lunch.

After lunch we went home and relaxed before getting ready to go to Barry and Jenny Grigg's house for New Years celebrations. When we got to their house Elliott had tea with Beth and Emma Griggs and Gus and Evan Anderson, children of the people there (sausage rolls, chicken nuggets, etc) and then they played on the playstation together and Elliott impressed everyone with his Rubix Cube skills. All the children were old enough to stay up for midnight so at midnight they came down for New Year and Auld Lang Syne and then it was time for bed with Elliott sleeping in a spare room.

Harley and Sylvie

General 

Elliott was very good today. 

Activities

In the morning Elliott helped Andrea and her friend Sarah Hunter walk two dogs, Harley and Sylvie, to California Country Park and back which he really enjoyed. Then we went to Andrea's Dad's house for lunch where he had ham and cheese sandwiches.

After lunch we came home and he spent the afternoon watching more Death in Paradise, playing with a remote control car and he also started writing his English homework Christmas story. Then he practiced his Clarinet before having his bath, brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed. He read more of his school book "Maximum Security" by Robert Muchamore before going to sleep.

Death in Paradise

General 

Elliott was really good today. 

Activities

We had a lazy morning and Elliott watched some episodes of "Death in Paradise" while making up Star Wars stories with his Star Wars Lego. He had sandwiches for lunch.

After lunch we went to Wokingham and Elliott bought some new bluetooth sports headphones in the WH Smiths sale. After we got home Elliott practiced his Clarinet, wrote some thank you cards and then we watched some of "Short Circuit" while Elliott had macaroni cheese for tea. After tea he got ready for bed (he's going to have a bath tomorrow morning), brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. Before going to sleep he read more of his school book "Maximum Security" by Robert Muchamore.

Jumanji: The Next Level

General 

Elliott was really good today. 

Activities

In the morning we had breakfast and Elliott played games on his new retro gaming device, solved his dodecahedran cube again and played some Clarinet for Grandpa. Then we headed off to Cote in Wokingham for a birthday lunch for me:

Elliott had chicken breast in breadcrumbs and frites for his lunch with a chocolate pot for pudding.

After lunch Elliott helped Granny and Grandpa find where they'd parked and they left to go home and we looked around some shops. Then we headed to Bracknell Cineworld where we watched "Jumanji: The Next Level". After the film we drove home and Elliott had the second half of his pepperoni pizza (from yesterday) for tea. Then he had his bath, brushed his teeth, got ready for bed and read more of his school book "Maximum Security" by Robert Muchamore before going to sleep.

Boxing Day

General 

Elliott was very good today. 

Activities

In the morning after he arrived Elliott showed me his Lego Slave 1 and his new iPad and opened his stocking which included a Roxenda Speed Rubix Cube, some Lego Ninjago, a Transformers blind bag, a Kazoo, magnifying glass, a Star Wars calendar, a Doctor Who annual, some chocolate coins and a big tube of smarties. Jack and Graham Jenkins also visited and Elliott showed Jack his presents. Just after Jack and Graham Jenkins left Granny and Grandpa arrived and we swapped presents. Elliott got a huge Dodecahedran Cubeand a Cherub book from Granny and Grandpa, a book from Kate and Anthony "I, Q, Independence Hall" by Roland Smith, a Sonic the Hedgehog controller holder from Jack, Harry and Graham Jenkins and an old school 400 in 1 Gameboy style portable games console from Andrea's Dad. Then Andrea's Dad arrived and we had a buffet lunch with Elliott having some chicken goujons, some sausage rolls and some cheese and biscuits. Elliott had a bath and then we had a lazy time and Elliott posed his new Sonic figure, played Minecraft, played the piano and showed Granny his castle homework presentation. We had spaghetti bolognese for lunch.

After lunch we Elliott played with his presents and we watched an episode of Death in Paradise and the new Worzel Gummidge. Then he had pepporoni pizza for tea for tea before having another bath, brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed. Before going to sleep he read more of his school book "Maximum Security" by Robert Muchamore.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

General 

Elliott was really good today. 

Activities

In the morning we had breakfast and packed and then we left for London. After a three hour journey we met up with Chas, Billy and Sid Loft, Alex and Lucas Dawson, Herny Black and Tommy and Reuben and Matt Hyde in Five Guys in London's O2 for lunch. Elliott had a cheese burger.

After lunch we went bowling at the Hollywood Bowl there and Elliott won his game against Billy, Sid, Lucas, Tommy and Reuben. The it was time to go to the cinema to watch "Star Wars: The RIse of Skywalker":

Everyone enjoyed the film and then we left soon afterwards. After we got home it was getting late so Elliott had a sandwich, brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. Before he went to sleep he started making notes for a Star Wars story he's going to write for his English homework.

Knives Out

General 

Elliott was very good today. 

Activities

In the morning Elliott had a bath and then we had a lazy time and Elliott posed his new Sonic figure, played Minecraft, played the piano and showed Granny his castle homework presentation. We had spaghetti bolognese for lunch.

After lunch we went to the Showcase Cinema in Southampton to watch Knives Out with Granny which we all enjoyed. After we got home Elliott had ham sandwiches for tea before having another bath, brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed. Before going to sleep he read more of his school book "Maximum Security" by Robert Muchamore.

Robin Hood

General 

Elliott was really good today. 

Activities

After Elliott had packed he had maccoroni cheese for lunch and then we drove down to Downton to Granny and Grandpa's house.

After we arrived we had ham and cheese sandwiches for tea and then we drove to Salisbury for the pantomime (Robin Hood) at the Salisbury Playhouse. The pantomime was funny and the Sheriff and Nurse were the funniest. After the pantomime we drove back to Granny and Grandpa's house and Elliott brushed his teeth, got ready for bed and read more of his school book "Maximum Security" by Robert Muchamore before going to sleep.

Minecraft

General 

Elliott was really good after school today and said they'd watched films at school during the day today.

Activities

After school we went home and Elliott had some ham and cheese sandwiches for tea. Then he played Minecraft on his phone and did some Clarinet practice before having his bath, brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed. Before he went to sleep he read more of his school book "Maximum Security" by Robert Muchamore.

Clarinet practice

General 

Elliott was good after school today.

Activities

After school we went shopping and Sainsburys and then home. Elliott had ham and cheese sandwiches for tea and then he palyed with his Lego Millennium Falcon and X-Wings before doing some Clarinet practice. Then he had his bath, brushed his teeth, got ready for bed and read more of his school book "Maximum Security" by Robert Muchamore before going to sleep.

Christmas Hockey

General 

Elliott was really good today. 

Activities

Hockey today was a Christmas tournament where the split the boys and girls in to 4 teams who then played each other. Then at the end they played an 11 a side game as well. Elliott played really well, though could have passed slightly more, but it was good to see him playing with such confidence and he scored some goals and set some up. After hockey we drove home and he had a bath. Then we headed in to Braknell to do some Christmas shopping and went to Nandos for lunch.

After we got home from Bracknell we watched The Last Jedi on DVD ahead of next weekend's new Star Wars film "The Rise of Skywalker". Then he played Sonic on his phone before we had ham and cheese rolls for tea. After tea he brushed his teeth and got ready for bed before we watched the next episode of His Dark Materials. Then he went to bed and read more of his school book "Maximum Security" by Robert Muchamore.

Christmas Tree decorations

General 

Elliott was very good after school today.

Activities

There was no Clarinet lesson or Whistling Woodwind after school today so we went straight home. When we got home Elliott watched some Doctor Who before he had ham and cheese sandwiches for tea. Then he had a bath, brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. After he was ready for bed we put up the Christmas Tree decorations before he read more of his new school book "Maximum Security" by Robert Muchamore, the third book in the Cherub series, before going to sleep.

Water cycle homework

General 

Elliott was really good after school today and his water cycle sandwich bag homework went well.

Activities

After school we went straight home and Elliott had his bath before tea and got ready for bed. After his bath he had pasta with bacon and tomato Dolmio sauce for tea. Then he did some Clarinet practice before watching Doctor Who. Then he brushed his teeth and read more of his new school book "Class A" by Robert Muchamore before going to sleep.

Pizza Express

General 

Elliott was good after school today.

Activities

After school we went straight to Elliott's Clarinet lesson which was his last lesson with his current teacher unfortunately, though there will be a replacement next term (called Henry). After his lesson we went to Pizza Express for tea and Elliott had a Pepperoni Pizza. Then it was back to Emmbrook School for Whilstling Woodwind. After Whistling Woodwind we went home and Elliott brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. Finaly he read more of his new school book "Class A" by Robert Muchamore before going to sleep.

Hockey tournament

General 

Elliott was very good today. 

Activities

In the morning we drove to Henley for the hockey tournament. Elliott played really well and the team around him played well too. They won two games, drew one and lost one and he did some really good passing, crossing and tackling and against Slough in the second game he scored a really good goal afer dribbling with the ball and beatinga few players. After the hockey we went to Newbury to pick up an eBay order for me and while we were there he had a bacon sandwich for lunch.

After lunch we drove home and Elliott had a bath before practicing his Clarinet. Then he drew a really good picture of the 10th Doctor Who (David Tennant) and watched some Doctor Who on his iPad. We had Roast Chicken for tea and he had some broccoli with his roast potatoes. After tea he packed for school tomorrow morning, brushed his teeth and then got ready for bed. Then we watched "His Dark Materials" before he went to bed and read more of his school book "Class A" by Robert Muchamore.

Doctor Who

General 

Elliott was really good today. 

Activities

In the morning, after breakfast, Elliott did his homework. He also played with Lego and games on his phone. Then we went shopping at Sainsburys. When we got back from Sainsburys he had ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch.

After lunch he watched some Doctor Who on his iPad and started drawing a picture of the Doctor. He also played with his Lego, did some more homework and practiced his Clarinet. We had chicken fajitas for tea and he didn't have a bath as we decided he would be better to have one after the hockey trounament tomorrow so he brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. He read more of his school book "Class A" by Robert Muchamore before going to sleep.

Sandwich bags

General 

Elliott was very good after school today.

Activities

We went to the Co-Op on the way home to pick up some sandwich bags and blue food colouring so he can do his homework of creating the water cycle on a sandwich bag. After we got home he had his bath, got ready for bed and then had some ham sandwiches for tea. Then we watched "His Dark Materials" and afterwards he brushed his teeth before getting in to bed. Before going to sleep he read more of his new school book "Class A" by Robert Muchamore (the second in the Cherub series).

Poem

General 

Elliott was really good after school today.

Activities

I picked him up from Sainsburys and we went straight to his Clarinet lesson where his teacher said his playing had improved. Then we went home and he had ham sandwiches for tea and finished his X-Wing Fighter Lego build before we headed back to Whistling Woodwind. After Whistling Woodwind he had his bath, brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. Then he showed me his excellent poem about home:

Home

Lots of things have a home for footballs it's a dome
Bees live in trees
And Fish in a bowl while foxes in a hole
Cars in car parks slides in adventure parks
Some live in zoos to show off for you
Humans live in a house and so can a mouse
Rubbish under a matt and on the top is a cat
Nits live in hair the cave is owned by a bear
Also in the cave are bats and sewers are for rats
Follow that to the end and you'll be at the home of the fish but the table is for the dish
Everyone can agree in the crowd that all the homes stand up proud
Like an army of soldiers
Lets not forget that some live on boulders
Your home is a treasure and that's forever
So next time you come home and smell the smell of home think to yourself I'm pleased I have a home
But some are not as lucky for example a ducky
Homeless people sleep on the streets where as you may sleep under sheets
And so if you have a spare pound donate it and make yourself proud
Because your action may help someone in need
and if it does than you can think now i have less greed
And then everyone may have a home.

He read more of his new school book "Class A" by Robert Muchamore (the second in the Cherub series) before going to sleep.

Maths test

General 

Elliott was  good after school today. He had his Maths test today and said he tried his hardest and tried his best to be neat when writing his answers.

Activities

I picked him up from the library and we went to ASDA on the way home. Then he had ham sandwiches for tea before making more of his Lego X-Wing fighter. Then he had his bath, brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. Before he went to sleep he read more of his school book "The Recruit" by Robert Muchamore.

Whistling Woodwind

General 

Elliott was really good after school today and said his wrist felt better.

Activities

After picking him up from school we went straight to his Clarinet lesson where his teacher was happy but said he needs to trust himself when he reads music. Then we had pizza for tea before Whistling Woodwind. After Whistling Woodwind he had a bath, brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. He read more of his school book "The Recruit" by Robert Muchamore before going to sleep.

Accident and emergency

General 

Elliott was really good today. 

Activities

After getting up and having breakfast we went to hockey training where Elliott played really well. Granny came along to watch and was impressed with how much he's developed. After hockey we went to Wokingham for lunch and Elliott had a bacon sandwich.

After lunch we went home and Elliott had a bath. Then we picked up his cycle helmet and went to the skatepark. After being a little nervous at first Elliott started skate boarding and was doing really well. The he skated down quite a steep ramp and did really well but had to jump off as the skateboard started to travel up the opposite ramp. Unfortunately after jumping off his skateboard he landed on his right wrist and hurt it. He was in quite a lot of pain so we thought it best to go to Accident and Emergency. We were there for a few hours and were seen by a nurse who gave him so pain relief, then another nurse who tested his movement, then he had an x-ray and the second nurse confirmed nothing was broken but advised he shouldn't play sport for a week and should keep taking pain relief:

After we got home he had burgers for tea and then continued building his Lego X-Wing fighter. Then he packed his school bags, brushed his teeth, got ready for bed and watched His Dark Materials. After His Dark Materials he got in to bed  read more of his school book "The Recruit" by Robert Muchamore before going to sleep.

Arborfield Aces

General 

Elliott was very good today. 

Activities

In the morning, after breakfast, we went to watch Jack Jenkins playing football for the Arborfield Aces. Then we headed back home and Elliott did his RE homework before we headed out to the tip to deliver an old wardrobe and some laundry baskets. We stopped at MacDonalds for lunch on the way home and Elliott had a look at Lego sets in Smyth's toy superstore.

After we got home he practiced his Clarinet for quite a long time (compared to normal) and then started rebuilding his Lego X-Wing fighter. He had macaroni cheese for tea before building some more Lego X-Wing. Then he brushed his teeth and got ready for bed and read more of his school book "The Recruit" by Robert Muchamore before going to sleep.

His Dark Materials

General 

Elliott was good after school today and had enjoyed his Design Technology lesson at school in particular.

Activities

After picking him up we went home and watched His Dark Materials from Sunday night while he had ham sandwiches for tea. After tea he had his bath, brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. Before he went to sleep he read more of his school book "The Recruit" by Robert Muchamore.

Clarinet lesson

General 

Elliott was very good after school today. He said he was a bit upset about forgetting his PE Kit earlier in the day and still isn't totally sure he won't have a detention tomorrow but thinks he'd have been told if he did. He also talked a bit about two disruptive children Jay and Owen who are now in more of his classes since the classes were re-organised so we're hoping after his tests he might be in less classes with them again, but it might be a situation to monitor.

Activities

After school we went straight to his Clarinet lesson which he said went well. Then we had ham sandwiches for tea before going to Costa Coffee in Tescos in Wokingham where he had some water. Then it was off to Whistling Woodwind, which he enjoyed, before heading home where he had a quick bath and brushed his teeth. He read more of his school book "The Recruit" by Robert Muchamore before going to sleep.

England verses Germany Women's football

General 

Elliott was really today. 

Activities

After we picked him we headed to Beaconsfield Station where we met up with Graham, Harry and Jack Jenkins and then got the train to Wembley Stadium to watch England verses Germany women's football match. Everyone enjoyed the game even though Germany won and Elliott had chicken nuggets and chips for tea:

After the game we got the train back to Beaconsfield and drove home and by the time we got home it was straight to bed and sleep for Elliott after he'd brushed his teeth.

The Recruit

General 

Elliott was good after school today and seemed very happy to have been back and seen his friends. 

Activities

After Homework Club we went home and he watched some You Yube videos about skateboarding. We had pizza for tea and then he had his bath, brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. He read more of his new library book "The Recruit" by Robert Muchamore which was recommended for him as it's on the accelerated reading list (rather than "Genesis Of The Daleks" by Terence Dicks which his English teacher said would be a good book to read in the holidays).

Inset Day

General 

Elliott was really good today, especially considering he didn't have much to do as I was working. 

Activities

In the morning he played his new Skateboard game and generally relaxed in his room. Then we had pasta with pepperoni sauce for tea.

After lunch we watched "Enders Game" and some toast for tea before it was time to leave for Whistling Woodwind which turned out not to be on. We turned back and drove home and he had a bath, brushed his teeth, got ready for be before reading more of "Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks" by Terence Dicks and going to sleep.

Hockey tournament

General 

Elliott was mainly good today. He did get upset with me during and after hockey when I was trying to advise him to concentrate on the opposition free hit taker and put his stick on the ground to block the ball (as a few times during the games he was wandering away, back turned when the opposition started playing). However after he'd calmed down we talked again and he did understand the point I was making.

Activities

In the morning we went to the hockey tournament at Reading Hockey Tournament. Unfortunately it wasn't a good tournament for the boys today and they lost all their matches and were comprehensively beaten in two out of four games. They played well in the first and third games but as there were two South Berkshire teams there sharing a coach they played the second and fourth games without a coach and it showed. Elliott played quite well at times and did set up most of the goals scored and score one himself but at other times was guilty of either tying to beat the whole opposition on his own or becoming despondent. He did also say he found my encouragement off putting (i did shout when he did good things and sometimes when his head was obviously not in the game) which is why we then had a chat after about tyring to stay alert and concentrating for the whole game. He did react badly to this at first but then did listen and we talked about how difficult it can be to adjust to being one of the best players and taking on more responsibility. He had a bacon roll for lunch.

After lunch he did some cubing and then we went to Graham Jenkins house to watch the Crystal Palace verses Leicester City game and he spent most of the time playing a game on his phone. After the football we went home and he did some more cubing before we had Roast Chicken for tea with roast potatoes and also a good quantity of broccoli. After tea he practice his Clarinet before doing some more cubing, brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed. Then we watched "His Dark Materials" before bed time and he did some quick reading of  "Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks" by Terence Dicks (again as this time he thinks he'll understand more of it) before going to sleep.

Star Wars

General 

Elliott was good today. 

Activities

In the morning Elliott watched a bit of the rugby and did some more animating. He also finished his Maths homework and watched some videos about Star Wars. We had spaghetti bolognese for lunch.

After lunch we packed and got ready to go home and Elliott did some Clarinet practice and played on the piano. Then we drove back home and he played a driving game on his phone. When we got home we unpacked and he had a light tea. After he'd unpacked he got all his Star Wars toys out and played a game on his phone. We decided to save his bath for after hockey tomorrow so he brushed his teeth, got ready for bed and then read more of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway" by Jeff Kinney before going to sleep.

Haircuts

General 

Elliott was really good today. 

Activities

In the morning he did his Science homework with Granny building a cell out of a number of different sized boxes. He also played his driving game and relaxed with his cubes. Peter Sladen came to visit for lunch and we had rolls with cheese.

After lunch we went to Salisbury for hair cuts and he looked in The Entertainer toy shop where we found a heavily reduced Black Series Obi Wan Kinobe figure that he could afford with his pocket money. We also bought a new bag for is hockey kit. After we came home he was inspired to start a new animation and he did some Clarinet practice before he had chicken nuggets, chips and a few peas for tea. After tea he had his bath, brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. Then he did some more animating before reading more of  “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway" by Jeff Kinney and then going to sleep.

Halloween trick or treating with Harry Higgins

General 

Elliott was mainly good today. At the end of the day he did get grumpy about not having done enough trick or treating when he had the opportunity but I think he was tired and he did cheer up before going to sleep. 

Activities

After I picked him up we drove down to Granny and Grandpa’s house in Downton. breakfast When we arrived we unpacked and then had crackers for lunch.

After lunch we drove to Durrington to see Matt, Lara, Harry and Bertie Higgins. Elliott and Harry played Fortnite together after we first arrived and then the boys had chicken nuggets, chips and (a few) peas for tea before going trick or treating around Durrington. Some people had made a lot of effort creating spooky houses and Elliott enjoyed walking around while skateboarding in his Marty McFly character:

He was a bit reticent to visit too many doors for sweets. After we got back to the Higgins house he and Harry had more fun together before we headed back to Downton. As soon as we got in he had a bath, got ready for bed and brushed his teeth before he became upset about not having visited enough doors for trick or treating. However he cheered up after he got his hot water bottle and then read  “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway" by Jeff Kinney before going to sleep.