An oasis in a week of stress

i am not convinced that going to work is actually worth it always. and this week is one of those times. actually, thinking about it, this whole month. not that i can even talk about it let alone blog. but there. i am sure i am not the only worker that feels this though…

anyway, chris is going to blog yesterday, which was rather fun i believe. it did mean we didn’t quite do what was planned today as he and the girls were still exhausted [i am always exhausted] but instead had a lazier day. SB did piano practice whilst i was in bed, and had her head in a book when i came down. when i am feeling a bit blue, amazon tends to benefit [ ] and this time was no exception, and i have spent some of my birthday money on nice books and also Bohnanza! it came today, so we spent most of the morning playing it!

we did also do some hugging, cuddling read the next bit of SoTW, look at some other books with marco polo in them or explorers, The Picture History of Great Explorers , I Wonder Why Columbus Crossed the Ocean: And Other Questions About Explorers (I Wonder Why) ,The Story of Explorers and Exploration and also a map. [i think alison is right, i have too many books! ] Following up on recommendations on the blog ring, we also looked at a bit of Write Around the World: The Story of How and Why We Learned to Write which i also like very much and would recommend.

ANother birthday purchase for me was a Great Gizmos – Movie Motion Zoetrope kit. which BB was fascinated with for the hour or so i was reading the above books to SB. SB then also had a bit of a play. We are going to do some of our own! and then we had lunch

SB hasn’t done much maths for ages, so she took the book out to the pond, and some rubbed out ernests book as well. BB said she was ready for ‘plussing’ as she is now as good as SB and at the same time! actually she just about is ready for plussing, as long as each number is less than five so that she can stick her fingers up and see them together. SB needs to learn some times tables i think, to make the whole multiplication thing less laborious. she wanted to know how i knew 4 x 7 was 28 so quickly. i told her, like number bonds, you use it enough and you know it [unless you are a maths genius and just know it anyway]

BB had had enough plussing, and wanted her face painting, so found the paints and she chose a dalmation, except every spot had to be the same size, but a different colour and not black, so actually she was just spotty!! she painted my feet with cheaper face paints. i have this book Face Painting (Usborne Activity) since i have no artistry. Speaking of lack of artistry i found all the ‘special’ paintbrushes had obviously been used on a previous occasion and not washed out. what is worse, they have glitter particles and glue – aargh! i think i need a mummy only shelf!

we then got out the paddling pool, filled it with water and had it comedown the climbing frame slide and into the pool. what fabulous fun. what a perfect way to spend a summery day hey! [oh to be that age again too] so we all giggled, laughed and enjoyed the day. SB went off to brownies [at the 'big house' this week to look at the lambs and various other animals] and then judo – which she loves. BB was ‘xhausted and watched my little pony video [argh] and magic school bus – not so bad – and then fell asleep. SB on return watched Little House On The Prairie – Series 2 [DVD] [1975] [which frequently makes me cry]. i guess we are pretty much done! chris read George’s Cosmic Treasure Hunt to SB for bed time, and now, having had a lovely sunny weathered, sunny mood day, it is apprentice time.