Monthly Archives: April 2007

A home day

Posted on April 25, 2007 by | 2 comments

wahay! poor old chris had the dentists first thing, but the girls watched tv and gave me a later start than I thought – 9.30. After brekkie of fried eggs and toast as a treat, i suggested to SB that she bring her maths or story of the world to the kitchen table, but she called me to the sofa with a book about the exploration of america. So we read that, looked at the map of various explorers and discussed native americans [and did some more inuit throat singing!].

We went outside and played for a bit, and the SB did some maths – rather easy greater and lesser than in primary maths 2A. She then demonstrated great trapeze artist skills – and was swinging holding on only by her knees, and somersaulting off – weyhey SB. She does always ask if Violet Portico can do these things -I tend to say yes. BB and I were being Bob the Builder, making things with the Bygga set from Ikea.
SB whizzed around the garden on her bike, and BB on her trike. We started to decorate our papier mache pots, and had some lunch, but due to spotting rain, came in and did both in the kitchen.

BB did some playdough whilst SB and I did some sudoko. When she started to join in more, we called it a day! BB and I played boxes, and also SB and I. good game from schooldays!

I did some weeding and gardening whilst the girls played. BB often helps me off and on. Gardening is going to get it’s own blog post i think. We played chase and confetti with the cherry blossom which was fun, and the just lots of being together. BB played in the sand whilst SB did some piano. We had lots of home-ed type free ranging conversations. e of which i swore I would remember to blog, but I have forgotten them!

edited to add – one of them was about debt – credit cards, mortgages and saving for rainy days. our credit card debt is now 1500 – woohoo , and being steadily paid off. so we discussed why i only want the mortgage as a debt, and how much rainy day savings were thought to be a good idea [3-6 months expenditure!] and that we owned 1/4 of the house. She asked sensible questions and got – hopefully – sensible answers.

A bath, chippery tea, britannia and SB reading to me. BB fell asleep at the table – poor love!

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, gardening, General, geography, history, literacy, music, numeracy, SB-PE, Stringbean's HE

Have I redeemed the blog yet?

Posted on April 23, 2007 by | 5 comments

wouldn’t want Jax to hibernate us!

So today I know SB did maths as she proudly told me she was doing book 2 – it is primary maths not MPH this time. But I got home to find her rewiring the toaster – well think Chris was – not sure which is more frightening! Anyway we shouldn’t have burnt toast now. She also has done loads of reading – pretty much whatever, whenever.

BB has been ‘a pickle’. But also done some lovely colouring. I try not to take heed of milestones to compare, but BB is def way ahead of SB’s neatness of colouring in at that age. SB would just do 2 scribbles through a whole page. BB very carefully tries to stay within the lines.

Gratifyingly, both could still remember I was a parent of theirs.

We went out in the garden to play and plant. Chris did potatoes [still!!] and I did hoeing and brocolli. Both girls bobbed about helping. The ground is too hard really for them to make good holes though, so got a bit bored.

I found them the papier mache pots they had, so they then enjoyed painting them – pearlescent pink and pearlescent lilac paint from tesco, very girly! SB wants to the put glitter and jewels on when they are dried. Following that they made things with playdough together for a bit whilst i put in the last of the brocolli.

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They both finished with cycling races – SB against her Leeds friends, and BB against sundry similar aged children – rofl! SB didn’t always win, but BB did.

SB has decided she does want to learn joined up writing, so we must do more getty and Dubay, and also the piano lessons! Tonights game was rummy, and then Britannia is the Dick whittington story. SB read more than I wanted of Dr Seuss sleep book!

I have planted out a few more mangetout. We will have 2 short rows of peas – yummy!

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, gardening, General, literacy, numeracy, science, Stringbean's HE, writing

BB’s latest milestones

Posted on April 23, 2007 by | 4 comments

She can now roll sideways down a slope – she rather enjoyed this at the St Georges day extravaganza. She can nearly peddle her trike – downhill only! And she can bounce on the spacehopper.

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Posted in Butterbean, General

Blogging issues

Posted on April 23, 2007 by | Leave a comment

we have both been alive all week! I have been working hard though, and even worked my usual wed off. it was also a colleagues leaving do, so rolled home near midnight. I have only just made it to girls bedtimes on other nights. Consequently me grumpy and bad parent [and wife - though chris did kill loads of my seedlings, including the very precious aubergines! - well, some still survive] And chris is worn out and snappy too. So not blogging.

What I think they may have included this week:

monday – CHEF singing and making bowls out of LP’s – cool, but it was la traviata! and a play in the park

tuesday – some general home ed bits and pieces, and I think a local home ed family came round. swimming
Wed – hmmm. I thknk this was cycling day. unfortunately SB also was subjected to chris’s sudden slow down or stop for no apparent reason and came off her bike – storming grazes everyhwere. she was gloved and helmeted, but knees and elbows took a battering.

Thurs – well, babygym was cancelled. some shopping. ballet.

Fri – err general home ed stuff?

Sat – to chris’s parents

Maybe chris might elucidate!

In the evenings, SB has been reading lots of books, we have played with the polyhedron shape makers a bit, we got some small plastic weights from the home ed selling site – thanks – which the girls have played with. SB and I have also played a game or 2 every night – rummy, uno, happy families, mastermind and operation have been the most played.

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Posted in General

the great cardboard experiment

Posted on April 23, 2007 by | 2 comments

when chris finds wherever it is ‘the frantic gardener’ has disappeared to, I will do some garden blogging on there!

Anyway, this year, having reflected on the prime cause of failures last year I decided that

1. I wasn’t going to sow more than I could pot up/plant and keep on top of

2. Since we are incapable of weeding the amount our garden needed, we needed a gardener or mulch. Both of those being expensive, we needed a friend with excess cardboard boxes.

3. Must Feed and Water more regularly

SO this is the feedback for number 2. So far the broad beans seem to be growing very happily through the cardboard. They haven’t been particularly munched by anything and they look nice and healthy.

The potatoes have also been planted through cardboard. Considering we haven’t quite finished planting them all – a great oops, but it is earlies – I have no feedback yet. Today I planted out the first brassicas – early purple sprouting – into holes in the cardboard.

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I’m not entirely sure if this is sensible/ will work. But last year so many plants choked in weeds, or got planted out way too late or never because I couldn’t face reclearing the ground that this HAS to be at least no worse!

The obvious positives are a bit less weeding – just thorugh the planting holes until what is in there is the biggest and strongest. Also, the cardboard should act as a good mulch in the summer, minimising the watering.

The obvious negatives are the increased places for slugs to hide and other non beneficial creepy crawlies. That it may somehow inhibit growth – possibly airflow?? Not sure.

Anyway, when have chatted up very helpful friend with too many boxes, the squashes and poss sweetcorn will also be planted through. Sweet corn often makes accessory rootlets from stem though,, so my have big planting holes!!

Anyway, we will see!

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Posted in gardening, General

Sunny Sunday

Posted on April 23, 2007 by | 1 comment

I fact, I got sunburnt slightly, though had creamed up the girls. As already blogged [the shame of being the last blogger!] we spent a lovely day with English Heritage with Michelle and family at Wrest Park‘s St George weekend. At the very end, we bumped into The Deep End as well.

We started with the end of a redcoat display, and then watch some Roman cavalry officers [transported through time!] rather cleverly shoot bows and arrows. The girls enjoyed patting the horses. Moved on to a falconry display. We were going to the Nelson bit, but the girls disappeared into the middle of a puppet show audience so we had lunch and were in the right place to the watch the roman soldiers drill. SB noticed they were speaking a different language, didn’t cross her mind it might be Latin!!

A nice restorative cup of tea, and we wandered to the living history bits, watched some fire jugglers, and then a mediaeval knight dressing and play – well, everyone else watched that. BB was a bit ’2′ having not had enough sleep the night before, so we looked around all sorts of other bits – particularly liking the musicians – before she fell asleep. Finally we wandered back to the St George ending. BB was convinced it was a ‘dinodoor’ [having just woken up].

We had a slow walk back, stopping for ice cream, race running and tree climbing. A bit more of a look around the living history roman bit as well. The girls wrote their names in Latin and talked to the enactors – SB has really got the hang of just talking and asking questions to adults.

It was a lovely day, good company. We didn’t watch particularly with the girls, as they got very good at squiggling to the very front, looking cutely and smilingly at those near them and then sitting still – it would have been a mean person to send them back, and no-one did! SB particularly enjoyed the St George bit and Chloe being there. Looking at the deep end, it is a shame we missed the nelson bit, but the girls were deeply embedded in the puppet show!

Photo’s to follow as have been manically back flickring to catch up [its been a hectic week!]

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Posted in Butterbean, General, history, literacy, Stringbean's HE

green thing from Joanna

Posted on April 23, 2007 by | 2 comments
Your Life is 76% Green
You live a very green life, and you’re aware of how your actions help the earth. Of course, it’s hard to be totally green. But when you make a tradeoff, you know why you’re making it.

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Posted in Daft Stuff, General

Last day of the hols

Posted on April 15, 2007 by | 3 comments

well, feels like that here with 6 long days ahead. SO we made the most of playing today.
SB has really been enjoying the Jane and the dragon series on TV, so will prob buy some books for her. She read some felicity wishes today, and assorted early readers.

Chris and SB went for a bike ride on the quieter village roads, learning how to indicate and turn right – she thought it was fab. Chris said she was riding really nicely – all that scootering has given her extra balance. not that her balance on 2 legs is that brill always!

BB and I sowed some runner beans in modules, counted them – in her own fashion, and played outside while they were out. When they came back we had crumpet pizza – yummy.

The whole day was spent outside. the girls wanted to do something messy, so we did papier mache around some plant pots to paint and decorate when dry. They then wanted to get wet, so we got out the old paddling pool [now deflated and puncture! But it was enough to hold a bit of water, and when BB’s cube slide ended it it there was much fun and mayhem for the rest of the afternoon!

As I went in to make dinner [moroccan ish stew!] I cage SB and BB the face paints, so they painted themselves. SB was particularly gorgeous [though the picture will be cropped for general consumption! While it cooked we played spraying with the hosepipe – always a favourite!

Chris planted some of the potatoes – pink fir apple, again wy late, but hopefully will do something. They’re through cardboard boxes, hopefully to keep the weeds down.

A bath – and they really needed it! BB fell asleep nearly instantly, and SB and I played games before bed, SHe is such a sweetheart as she made me a flower display as a present, and hidden in it was some chocolate for me.

Anyway, I have had a lovely break, but don’t imagine I will blog much in the next week!

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, gardening, General, literacy, Stringbean's HE

sorting the crops

Posted on April 14, 2007 by | 2 comments

today has been a good gardening day. I put in some more peas, finally put in the onion sets [way late!] cleaned out some of the greenhouse and started potting up the tomatoes. I was helped [sort of] in these tasks by both girls at various different stages. so some of the onion sets are upside down, and some roots detatched to some extent from peas. however it is all a good learning experience. SB also dug up one of our leeks from the garden – i am proud of the leeks, first time they have been successful. I also sowed the first french beans in modules. Chris put some more of merry’s boxes over unused veg bed. The pear tree – and most of the fruit trees still alive – are covered in flowers. I’m hoping that this year will be a good fruit and veg year. i think the last year we truly did well was when SB was 2!
it has been an outdoor playday – the girls playing hide and seek, races, climbing etc etc and helping me. i have been narrating stories, races etc for them to do whilst gardening and then joining in with hide and seek. SB has read to me several times, and also to BB. I read both girls the cat just so story [prob my favourite one].

We did some painting outside. SB painted a house – putting her ‘sign’ in the picture as well. BB mostly painted herself – so an outside bath in order too!!

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, gardening, General, literacy

Getting on with the reading then…..

Posted on April 14, 2007 by | 5 comments

Resding the Grauniad

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Posted in literacy, photos