The search for snails...

I have started to call Ruby "cloth ears" as her ability to listen at the moment is non existent and driving me a little mad.  I am sure if my mum is reading this she will be saying "ah like mother like daughter" and getting your kids to listen is probably something that all parents go through and probably are still going through even though we are now adults and leading our own lives. I have tried asking Ruby over and over again the question that I want answered or the task she needs to undertake but it is as if all she hears is "blah blah blah blah", I have noticed that when I shout at her she shouts back and this Is not a good example to set her - so now my tact is to stop talking to her if she stops listening to me. She understands why I stop talking to her and will often say "you can talk to me again in a little while when I have started listening", sometimes she gets upset that I am not answering her questions but she needs to start opening her ears a little.  She might be feeling a little under the weather as she has had an upset tummy and running to the loo quite often today - at first I worried that it might have been my cooking but then everyone else is OK so it is probably just a bug she got from school.

This afternoon we decided to go on a "snail hunt", I have two clear plastic cartons which the kiwi came in and I thought that they would make great little snail farms as the kids could see through them so off we headed round the village looking for snails. Usually there are loads about, but do you think we could find any today (maybe our French neighbours have already collected them all and are tucking into snails and garlic butter)! So instead we found lots of empty shells that we will wash and then the kids can paint.  Friends with a holiday home in the village arrived today and Ruby very excited to be able to go and play with the "big girls". She got introduced to her first iphone 4 and was pretty taken with it - she can put that on her 18th birthday present list! When it was time to leave there were tears and tantrums as she wanted to stay and play more - we promised to return another day when they are making chocolate cake!