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Monthly Archives: May 2006
oh dear! thanks sarah
Posted in Daft Stuff, General
from nic
| Your Political Profile: |
| Overall: 20% Conservative, 80% Liberal |
| Social Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal |
| Personal Responsibility: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal |
| Fiscal Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal |
| Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal |
| Defense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal |
I was shocked to find that i was half conservative on defence and crime – i think it was that plea bargaining thingie- well, we don’t do it over here! [do we????]
Posted in Daft Stuff, General
daft stuff!!
| You Passed 8th Grade Geography |
 |
Posted in Blogging, Daft Stuff, General
quick catchup
Main computer has had a major wobbley, so have spent much fruitles time trying to sort that, as well as only (!) having one computer around for essential tasks like reading blogs. Also Helen has been in London for two days this week and not getting back until late-ish. so lack of blogs, lack of new photos on Flickr (we have them, but have to get the external drive and connect it to the laptop) – what’s the world coming too…..
That and? certain lack of blogging enthusiasm from me this week….
Main theme of the week has been enjoying the sun outside quite a lot, there has been Explode the Code happening most days, bits of Singapore maths, lots of reading. SB is reading soemthing to me most days now, she is gradually spotting more and more words straight off.
Anway, Tuesday was Library day, so went along to that, SB had found the book that I claimed last week that I had claimed not to have ever seen – so had to take that back and admit to incompetence. But ti’s a nice friendly volunteer run library and they are used to us…… Meant for under 5′s so Sb is much the biggest there now – older under 5′s must presumably be at playgroup or something. But she likes going, so we still go. I do the occasioanl session to keep in the good books 
I picked up a book that SB has really enjoyed. Incredible Everything?? about have various things? (bridges, doughnuts, CD’s Beoing 777 for example) are made and work, lots of detailed drawings etc. SB loves things like this and every day me or Helen have sat down with here and looked at it. she likes you to tell here what is going on in each bit.
Much of ther afternoon was probably spent outside, a lot of librbary book reading went on. We finshed sorting out the bed for the strawberry pants.
SB finally learnt how to get herself swinging on the swing, went outside and realised she was whizzing back and forth. she was Soooo pleased with herselfshe spent most of the next hour swinging, Swimming lesson later on, home to dinner, and Mummy getting home just as we sat down to watch Wallace and Grommet – Curse of the Were Rabbit.
Wednesday we went to my parents for most of the day. SB played some games, read, did some tracing (very well) in a trace the picture book mum had bought. BB poddled about, and scared Nanna by climbing up piles of old paving stones, up on top of the wall. etc. (they are redoing the garden). They have Sat TV, so SB gets a treat of watching CBeebies in the middle of the day Lots of reading with Mum, looking at various books – she has been looking at some of the Picturepedia books as well – ‘Waht’s this, what’s that..’
Thursday ???? We planted out the stawberry plants, as in SB did two and then went of to play. BB randomly came up picked up plants and dropped then around the bed…, they seem happy enough though. Ballet lesson in afternoon, some time in the playground afterwards where SB found hitched up with another little girl, Sb kept trying to climb up everything, managed to whizz up the slide, then fell down it…. :-(. I tried to do a ‘A day in the life of BB’ series of piccies which will hopefully get posted.
Friday A day when we didn’t have to go anywhere at all which was nice. Should have gone to the shops probably though. SB and BB played for ages in the morning in SB’s bedroom with Happy Street, Cindy whatever, which gave me the chance to do interesting things like changing beds ‘unaided’.Can’t remeber much, but SB did some good reading from one of the Letts Active Readers (Ratman and the Big Cat or somesuch), we looked a lots of the Incredible Things book – wandered into a conversation about how people used to make things themselves or on a small scale and now things moslty get made in factories now.? did some basic stuff about Graphs from Singapore maths.? Did some stuff from the book, then did some of own – how many different coloured flowers etc. use the little plastic blocks (name? – forgot) to ake the graps which worked well. SB got the hang of it, and interpreting it/extracting info easily.
Posted in Books, Butterbean, Dance/drama, gardening, history, literacy, numeracy, Out and About, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE
i am working – honest!
I am writing a presentation for next week, which i am really worried about. I have had a hugely busy week, and collapsed into bed at the same time as the girls, except wed – apprentice night! I didn’t even have family wednesday, as on a? course in London. It was an extremely good course, even if it did cost me 525 – sigh, but was very tiring on eyes and posture as essentially practically based and lots of looking at screens . I thought of both Sarah and ChrisP at one point as I was playing on a computer simulation of what I want to do, using these rather remarkably well shaped manipulators attatched to the computer box. you could learn to do it for real to – the machine is only 25000 euros! major work issues as yet still unresolved though, and gloom deepening.
When I have been at home, I have been doing high level interaction with my girls – well as much as I can for an extremely knackered, still insomniacal mummy! [or maniacal perhaps?]
I have read loads to SB – she has really got into the DK illustrated family encyclopaedia, and just works her way from cover to cover. We did do R for reproduction as well. [sort of!] but actually it shew me how much she does remember from when we have seen the subjects before. And that she really is knowledge inquisitive. She has also gradually got the hang of giving me a potted history run down of the day she has had – demonstrating the swimming moves, and the ballet moves. though are they really called sautees? [as I just see potatoes!!]
BB extremely good at shrieking mummeeeee. is doing acrobatic breastfeeding – an advance that I am not actually overly joyous about. She sings a lot of the time, often doing the actions. sometimes the tunes are recognisable, and sometimes the actions give them away. She also loves book reading.
Both girls have enjoyed the good weather though. I came home from work today to find evidence of outdoor home-ed. The swings are a hit, and BB is great at climbing as well as trampolining and rocking horse. She aslo loves the little cosy coupe car.
Both girls are making a fuss about me working. BB grips me as if to never let me go, and shrieks when I move – though Chris says she settles quickly when I’m gone. SB just tells me its Daddy’s turn to work. She does realise one of us has to work though. if only I could afford to drop to 3 days…
i have decided though that i have been getting too stressed about life and work. SO i am going to try and carpe diem for a bit, and see if the stabilises me again. I just wish I didn’t have arm lng to do lists at home and work.
Posted in General
Sporty Monday
A local HE group is having a monthly ‘sports’ session, we didn’t go last month as SB was ill but made it this time. Though a 9.30 start and a 40 min journey meant getting going in the morning. BB helped by getting me up before 6 am 
Basically it is a ‘teacher’ doing various games etc. using balls, hoops, skittles etc. and lost of running about. SB enjoyed it, BB kept wanting to join in – running and chasing games are her favourites. Though SB also wanted to join in the older session (nominally 7yo, but some were younger i think) afterwards as well as she liked the look of the netball. Spent another hour afterwards while she played with various children and I drank tea, chatted etc. You know the score. Someone we’ve met a few times is moving from their house to buy a boat (with a ‘little bit of?? land attached’ ) sound that was interesting to chat about.
Their headed up your way Merry, so will likley appear at local stuff there.
Headed off eventually. Rain put paid to vague ideas I had of? bit of? walk somewhere. We headed of homewards, via a bit of shopping . Looking for? wholefood shop, since we don’t have? a decent one in the nearer towns (H&B is not a decent wholefood shop…. In fact it seems to be all pills and potions moslty nowadays). anyway, found a different one than the one I was looking for, so stocked up on a few things, and? nice bit of halva for an evening treat. SB entertained/or was enterntained, i’m not sure which, by the man up packing various boxes of stock as she peered at what he had and nattered away. I over heard her counting up in 2′s as well. It was a rather wholesome wholefood shop, which was rather nice, not haveing been in one sicne we moved house really. I took the oppurtunity to peruse the rack of green/right on publications that they had and was left feeling somewhat? unfaithful to? a former self as I was for? moment or two back? 15-20 years ago (that long), shopping in wholesome shops, persuing similar magazines. I used to be? a pretty strict vegan, among other things, which has gone by the way side, that former self did try to care about things, even? if as is the way of things it was naive at times. I’m not sure the current self really does care much any more.
Still raingin, som popped into a cafe, for a ‘pretty cheap, but shouldn’y have really’ lunch (but the plan of something sat on the grass was out due to rain), and Beans were getting hungry. SB wooed the counter staff buy asking for? a straw in the most polite-est way possible. Then via a chinese grocers for some noodles. Spent some time just persuing the various options as this was new experince for SB as opposed to the standard Sharwoods ones from the supermarket. she then just went around the shop going, what’s this what’s that at the various interesting things in jars and tins and packages. I resisted the urge to buy various interesting things.
Then home to playing, Mummy home from work time, and dinner.? Stir fry with the aforesaid noodles, we also had? a bit of Arame with it(it’s a dried Japanse seaweed in case you wondered). SB was intrigued when she relaised it was proper seawed, not the fried cabbage called seaweed that chinese retaurants do. She gamley tried some at dinner time as well. She professed not to like it – but it’s not really at it’s best eaten by itself, but she was munching in with vegetables a bit later, she just didn’t want to be seen liking it
Before bed we watched another epsiode of the DVD of the ‘Life of Mammals’ (it was meant to be half, but I dozed off…).? SB has really got into all these sort of things since she watched the recent Planet Earth series so we are working our way through various ones. Have watched some of the Blue Planet as well – from which she has remembered among othe things that the Blue Whale is the biggest animal that ever lived, and also that there are lots of recently discovered things deep in the ocean, also is very taken with the idea that there might be somethign even bigger lurking in the depths.
Then a quick ‘Thomas’? story (the originals – not the modern pap) for bedtime
Posted in Books, Butterbean, Out and About, Ponderings, SB-PE, science, socialisation, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE
Insomniacs R us
I am just not sleeping at the moment, my brain just can’t stop whirring – either redoing the budget over and over again incase some miracle happens and we balance, or imagining how I can walk away from my job without total disaster befalling.
I does mean that so far I have read 4 of the 6 books Jax lent me last weekend!
Unfortunately, just as I thought i was ready to slip away into sleep – approx 5am – BB woke up. at 7 I passed her on to Chris so I could have a nap, and then slept the morning – so also angry with myself for missing out on precious family time.
Whilst I snoozed, SB had more fun with the circuits, and made a radio – which she was very proud to show me. The instructions and set really are very easy to use. We have mainly played all sorts of things all day. Lego, imagination, running about etc etc. She has also done a lot of cbeebies, and BB done a lot of jumping on me.
going to hope for better sleep luck tonight
Posted in General
quick blog
as so much else to do.
Umm, SB listened to little toe a lot today. We did quite a bit of reading together – loads of the usborne children’s encyclopaedia, a picturepaedia about dinosaurs and a scholastic book about constellations as well as lots of reading books and fairy tales. She didn’t do any explode the code today, having excelled an done 7 pages yesterday. She did do some singapore maths 1A, and is getting the hang of adding and crossing over a ten [and similarly subtracting] – though the occasional 7-1 is 5 and stuck to rigidly is a bit head-banging!
The key thing she wanted to do was some electricity experiments. Before xmas, [aka before budget!] I did a brghtminds order including one of those brainbox jkits, which we decided to keep until next xmas. We changed our minds and did it today. She very quickly got good at circuits, loved the flying disc fan, and understood in a basic way about electricity and current, the way it flowed around the circuit – enough to realise that the light emiting diode didn’t work as it was put in the wrong way round [it has an arrow] So lots of fun there.
Whilst finishing the maths in the garden, BB and I had a romp and play. ruined by the most eniormous hideous poo ever – as she was nappy free it fell on the grass, but i did then have to carry her, emergency wipe down and then emergency sink bath! At least it wasn’t indoors, as she had been nappy free all day. Other than that, BB and I also read books, we did a lot of run and chase. She’s getting good at drawing too – well, in a reliable pen to paper kind of way rather than a monet! We were trying copying shapes, and she had a stab at a circle before wild scribbling took over. She was desperate to do electric circuits too. She has done lots of climbing up and over everyhting she can. Lots of fun with balloons as well.
All in all, lots of fun today – though BB has been quite grizzley on and off, and the yukky orange poo persuaded me that perhaps she had some virus or other, so she got some nurofen. SB doesn’t like to be left out, so the odd wail there too, but quickly sorted. She has done some lovely playing with BB, even when pinched and hit – and BB gave her a lovely slimy mouth open kiss in return!
will add photos
Posted in Butterbean, General, geography, history, numeracy, photos, science, Stringbean's HE
Enjoying more sun.
Both girls were still alseep when Helen left for work, which is unsual, but it didn’t last for long. Butterbean was soon up and causing havoc. SB soon got up as well, but she stayed upstairs for? while playing with the Happy Street which has been out on her floor all week sicne the party last weekend.
When she came down the first thing she wanted to do was ice the carrot cake we made on tuesday.? So she produced yet another tastefully decorated cake…
She was going to do a rainbow cake at one point. Whilst this was all going on BB spent sometime standing on a chair playing witht he cutlery and reorganising the contents. Outside for a bit, to hang up some washing . BB likes to help with this now, it’s a shame that she driops half the things on the ground when giving them to me. But she doesn’t like it if she seems me takign the stuff, she shouts at me very loud (she does? alot of shouting at the moment – whenever she wants something, something is wrong etc., it’s all a bit tiresome TBH). Pottered around for? bit looking at things, then back indoors. Girls leggoed for? bit while I did something or other, tidied breakfast things, more washjing on etc. I expect.
Back outside again, sat and read for bit whilst we ate some fruit, girls ran about, played on swings etc.. Strawberry plants were delivered today and the bit of ground they are goign in needed a bit of sorting, so I got on with that, SB sat and did some of the Singapore Maths, Thinking Skills 1A book, moslty adding up up to 20. They had some problems where you had one number and the answer, and had to find the missing number. She was complaing about this, so I showed her? how to take away the number from the answer to get the missing number. BB moslty clambered about on her climbing frame.
Then lunch, after which BB fell asleep in her seat.
Me and SB went back outside, finshed doing the bed for the Strawberries, SB moslty played around the garden doing one game or another. She seems to be really just enjoying the warm weather and being able to be running about in it. Had a bit of a conversation about what a weed is,? why we sometimes grow ‘weeds’ and other times don’t want them.. By which time it was time to get up BB who was still asleep.
So sat and cuddled? sleepy baby, whilst reading somemore to SB, looking at some books again on space stuff. . Tiem to get dinner ready, whilst I was doing that, SB did some more Explode the Code. Made? a bit of? fuss at first then got into it, and then did loads, about 7 pages I think as she decided she wants to catch Sam up, who is on the next book (book 3). So she did that until dinner time.
Over dinner we listened to more Little Toe Radio Show, she is funy, such a visual 21st century child. She likes to listen to it with ‘patterns’ (visualisations from the player ) and sits thee staring at the computer screen wayching the pattern BB is so good at picking up on Helen’s voice. She was in the bath when Helen came home, but still heard here voice down stairs and started shouting and saying ‘Ma Ma’ and pointing She was very cute this evening mimicing Helen doing ‘Woo, Woo, Woo’ sounds with her hand over here mouth
Posted in Books, Butterbean, Cooking, gardening, literacy, numeracy, photos, science, Stringbean, writing