Petits Haricots

No, not the end of the blog.

We’ve got the rather nice all-in-one edition of the Winnie The Pooh Stories and the poems etc. that was published a couple of years back, ours was a 10 quid job from the Book People, if you ever see it snap it up.

Anyway, on Tuesday read the last chapter  of The House at Pooh Corner to SB at bedtime. I know it’s daft, seeing as it’s only a story and it’s a toy bear. but it always brings a lump to my throat and a tear to the eye when I read it (For anyone who hasn’t read it, Christopher Robin is 6 and is going off to boarding school - I assume - and takes Pooh off to a special place to say goodbye, but he can’t bring himself to actually tell Pooh that he will be going away)

This morning saw us head off to a local HE group meeting (arriving late due to 20 minute wait in traffic jam getting onto A1….) for an African Drumming Workshop which was great fun, and rather noisy Stringbean enjoyed the drumming, BB enjoyed the poddling about, saw Merry and Tammy and relevant children, though didn’t have that much time to chat. I was amused by Sam’s dislike of the drumming - standing there with his hands over his ears - and the desire to go off to the palyground

The groups singing at the end was good as well. SB also made shaker and helped out cutting up fruit for the fruit salad, though she didn’t like eating it for some reason.

Afterwards we went down to the playground for a bit. There are a couple of older girls, 11yo twins who seem to have taken a shine to SB and vice versa and they have taken her under their wing abit, so she spent some time playing with them. They went into the woods at the back of the playground for bit, building a bridge across a stream and generally getting muddy and wet feet. BB just went paddling in puddles to get wet feet…. I at and chatted with couple of other parents, until we got fed up getting damp as it had started to rain.

Once home later on, not much happened. Both ahd dozed off in the car and were a bit sleepy, so we sat and watched a bit of TV - SB watched a bit of videoed CBeebies followded by variosu schools programs on geography, something about Egypt.Soem sort of potted histroy programme was showing ‘highlights of the 1980’s - had  bit about Live Aid, the Ethiopian famine etc.  so that prompted various questions about that, don’t think she could grasp the idea that the people couldn’t just go somehere there was food, or just buy some more, or possibly even the whole concept of not having food to eat at all may  have ben beyond her, seing as it is totally outside her experince.SB did a bit of Jump Ahead Maths later before and after dinner.

Poor Helen has been very tired (we did both go to bed post 2 am last night for no good reason) and has been asleep since she gave BB her bedtime feed.

Nice day, though as so often time seemed to disappear in the middle with things left undone.

Girls were up with Helen before she went to work, and by 8 am they ahd both had their breakfast, which is a bit unusal. SB often faffs about doing ’stuff’ before getting round to eating Then she collected some thing together on the stairs and so I had to go shopping there and buy some things from them. A bit more random playing and then SB settled down to a bit of Education city, which we have yet another trial extension for. Seems to work well - she does it for a little bit, then forgets about it, then EC send us a trial extension sometime later and she has another go. She does seem to enjoy it. Seemed to be moslty doing Science stuff and getting it moslty right AFAICS.

BB pottered about, doing a bit of ‘drawing’, playing with the cooker and other toys.

so I sneaked off and had my breakfast in peace, which is also pretty unusal. And looked up a few Space things on the web for SB
Then we sat and read few books, and then i showed SB how to get some bread going in the breadmaker.

Though she did rather make a mess with the flour BB played with bowls and measuring spooions on the floor. A bit later on she sneaked up onto the table and was caught measuring out water using the spoons and cups

Some washing got hung out (BB helped by taking them out of the basket and dropping them…) i puled up soem of the 5 billion weeds that are gorwing madly in the blink of an eye in the garden, the girls finally got into soem clothes from their PJ’s some of the endless pile of clothes waiting to be put away was put away. SB played with Happy Street which seems to be living on her floor recently and wailed when BB (aka Godzilla) came along to join in - which basically means wrecking it most of the time. I do see SB’s point.

Some how it made itself to lunchtime, so we finfished off the sausage bake from the other day - BB managed to cover her face in it and then fell asleep in her high chair. Whilst BB slept me and SB looked and some photos and video clips from the Apollo program, and much conversation about going to the moon, the moon, why the rocket ‘comes apart’, all that sort of stuff. I do remember being absolutley fascinated by all this as a kid, as of course it was all happening then.

Made a rather delicious Asparagus (from the garden) flan for dinner,

SB did some Explode the Code (almost finished book 2 now) and helped roll out pastry
and then she (moslty herself) made some little jam turnovers with the scrap pastry. something I can rember doing with my mum as well.

and before you know it it’s time for ballet class (BB enjoyed chasing around the room with the ballet girls who were wating for their class to start), tidying up a bit, getting dinner ready, bed time stuff etc. SB finished off the day with a bit of Muzzy with Mum.

but I didn’t get to plant out any of the plants I wanted to plant out, nor to clear a bit of the veg bed area for more things to go out, everything is sooooo behind now

oh, and on this  92%

a sentence!

shrieked repeatedly. [it is SB’s though!]

today we went out with one of our local home ed groups to Denny Abbey. there was stained glass making and tile making put on, and for the older children a bit more history, but SB was having so much fun playing, that the youngest group played making arches and then sundry imaginative run around games! A huge turnout.

BB was much taken by looking through the coloured plastic to see how the world changed colour, and did this will all the colours she could grab. SB had a lollipop design for her stained glass- rofl. She was quick to answer questions, and enjoyed the tile making too - she concentrates really well on crafts.

A reproductive lesson too by a rather frisky bull in a field full of cows and calves. Ended on a sour note, as SB ran off with her friend M and hid just as I was putting BB in car. Took me 5 mins to find them. She knows she shouldn’t run off from carparks. grr! So she looked sad all the way home as she had been naughty - by which point I felt sad too!! And I hadn’t done too much of a major telling off either.

Anyway, got home. Chris went to the meeting with the council about the pubs request for musi 4 days a week. he got chatting to the owner, who prob isn’t going to use music so much, and it seems part of the deal is some kind of noise limiter device thingy. So we’ll see.

SB did some maths - difficult bit again, so we cut it short - its adding over a 10. She’s fine at adding and subtracting within the 10, and her understanding of tens and units seems fine, its just that making tens thing. Some playing with cuisinaire rods and pattern making with that and the ideal blocks. We also made a mask - it was SB’s present to me as a sorry for being naughty, she made me a make-a-mask kit and wrapped it up - ahh, all friends again, and a long cuddle! She really can be thoughtful[yep, there is one of me in the mask!]

We then spent most of the afternoon outside, running around, making up games, and SB and BB playing together beautifully. We lost track of time, so have had chips for tea listening to little toe radio - we are all enjoying the little house on the prairie adaption. We finished the day watching some more of the blue planet DVD series - shores this time. SB has become very taken by natural history DVD’s

… as definately in need of r and r!

came home to find in-laws visiting, and much merriment. i had stopped off at tescos, and they were having a womens clothing sale, so last of the big spenders, I bought shorts for 2.50, top for 1.75, another 2 for 5 each, and then a 20% discount on the lot - v pleased!

And since miserable and no money whatsoever, i then bought a dinosaur testtube kit for Sb and some v cheap walkie talkies.

so we played with the walkie talkies. SB was fairly hopeless at keeping her finger pressed down! no doubt practice will improve things. BB was very jealous - so SB let her play too.

we buillt the glow in the dark dinosaur together. a t-rex, and then she and it squiggled into a cupboard to make sure it did glow in the dark. BB read books to me. She now says ‘mine’ well!

She and BB then spent a considerable amount of time putting on a show for us - to the fimble radio! lots of dancing and twirling, with Sb dressed in her ballet togs.

SB did some singapore maths 1B - 10s and units, which she is galloping through, and then Chris’s parents treated us to a curry. thankyou!! it was delicious, I was ravenous, and BB seems to be a real curry girl too. in fact i’m about to have some reheated.

what else? Oh, SB insisted BB did some match and sort - counting to 10 flap book - rofl! And they both played with the ideal blocks.

Earlier, SB had done some hama, some explode the code and lots andlots of playdough with BB while Chris did a good tidy up of the main downstairs - for which I was very appreciative [actually i thought his mum had done it - oops]

Unfortunately the garden and gardening gone to pot. I am trying not to care.

what on earth did i say? I think not!!!

i am getting through the flickr tonight!

 

IMG 4440 edited-1

Originally uploaded by Scrumbledelicious.

she loves books, it is her 4th clear word!

Had a lovely day. My lovely sister got up early and cleaned the kitchen - yay! the children all played nicely together, a bit of dashing outside, but rainy. They watched some more blue planet, and went finally mid afternoon.

SB then did the yoga video 2ce [thanks again Katy], and since SB was still asleep, we played games of set until she had woken up. We don’t play competitively yet, just take turns, but she doesn’t ail to spot one now, and is starting to be fussy about ‘what kind’ of set she wants! She had wanted to do some more electric circuits, but i couldn’t find those, and education city, but we have run out of free trial!

instead she made some more dream avatars, while I got BB up. they played bounce over mujmy and the bed and general rough and tumble for a bit [chris dug up some weeds in the rain, and had a shower to warm up!] . SB read me some say the sounds ladybirds books - she was very impressed, as was I, even though the imp and troll story must be one of the most phenomenally tedious I have ever read!.

BB practiced saying book to me, and brought me a fair few to read whilst SB played with the lego - so we did turn and turn about of lap and book or lego. i read SB some dr seuss. So BB gradually getting the hang of speech. [shoes, mummy, daddy and book are the clearest]

Rather hysterical was the pre and post bath olympics that SB and BB had, running the upstairs circuit again and again [naked as a nod to ancient greece!] while I counted, and SB tried to beat her own time. BB just chuckled madly. At bedtime Sb insisted on an encyclopaedia as bedtime story - so we did various pages of ‘C’ . We are so behind with piccies that I shall do some flickring.

Sorry we couldn’t go to Fran’s party - so happy birthday Fran.

with my nephew and niece. they set off at the crack of dawn and caught us on the hop - not much change there SB and M have een playing together, and E joining in or playing on own or beside BB.

We all made chocolate brownies [a quicker recipe than sarah’s - though not as gorgeous!] ,
played outside, upstairs and then made pizza together for tea. Watched monsters inc for a late afternoon cool off, and then some blue planet after bath for similar reason!

lovely

Things seem to have been a bit slow here last couple of days. After her late night on Wed SB had bit of lie in, which did give me and BB time to have a good play together, which probably doesn’t happen often enough. She is really into trying to copy you and say words for things now, which is entertaining. She likes books as well, esp. those that have touchy/feeling bits, - she really likes the ‘That’s not my..’ series. She will often go and get a book from the shelf and come and climb on you lap.

Not really sure what happened with SB in the morning, she played with the cindy/Barbie and cuddly toys - apparently she likes to tell them a story everyday. We did what a couple of schols programs. There was one comparing two farms in UK and France which she liked - about sheep farming, shearing and making cheese.

There was some reading of library books again, she will often now read bits of books as we go along. She wants to do some stuff about Space. In particular, Rockets, Astronauts and stars so we looked at books about that sort of thing and talked about why the Saturn V rocket was so big, but the bit that the men travelled in was so small. Must organise some thing on this - any good links?

In the afternoon we walked the scenic route via footpath and old railway line to the veg shop. Walk was pleasant, BB enjoyed toddling along, played Pooh Sticks, looked at some of the flowers and at a Badger set. BB blagged a pear in the veg shop. She went, in made a beeline for the box of pears took one and started munching it. didn’t notice at first (it’s normally unstaffed as it’s at the garden nursey and the staff there come in to serve you) until it was too late. The woman who served us let her have it free.

Home in a hurry (losing BB welly on the way) out to Ballet. Visit to the playground, home for dinner, watched the Coral Sea episode of Blue Planet. SB got to saty up very late as said she could wait up for Helen who was giving her talk, but she didn’t get home until well passed 11pm. She was quite happy and spent ages playing on Webland.

Friday

So again SB had little bit of lie in.

BB helped me tidy the kictchen a bit, hang up nappies (waste of tiem it was soon to rain later) etc. SB hama beaded over breakfast - though rather upset when she knocked it and dislodged lots of the beds - BTDTGTTS, put away quite a few of childrens clothes upstairs. Went hrough all her T shirts, shorts etc. to check on stocks before th summer. soem reading with SB, SB did some more Explode the Code, almost at the end of the book now. she has fair whizzed through this one. She does the same thing as me and gets ‘b’ and ‘d’ mixed up wehn she writes them. At least she won’t get sent back down to sit in the younger class like I did at primary school - presumably the teacher thought I was doing it deliberately.

After lunch we hit the supermarket - forgetting I was not going to go to the Tesco at the moment as it’s pain while they rebuild the store. hoem to meet Mumy back from work SB did some maths , red Nose readers with Helen.

Both went to bed bit late, for reasons that I’m not sure about.

Cousdin M coming to visit this weekend so time to egt the hoover out.