Author Archives: Daddybean

Pocket Money

Nothing to report really, Beans at nursery, I had some work, Ballet lesson, poor Helen absolutley knackered on return from work and went to bed with SB at about 8pm.

I was throwing BB around a bit before bed , which as ever she enjoyed, but SB felt she was missing out, she insisted I ‘mess her about’. Which is what she calls it. Of course she is getting a bit big for it really , but we managed a bit. after I’d put her to bed she came down complaing and crying that the duvet was all wrong……. :roll:
Anyway, decided really that it’s time for SB to have some pocket, seeing as she is now grasping the concept of money really, and understands that differen coins etc. have different value – she did well at counting out the 5ps, 2ps and 1ps to buy 35 p of sweets the other day.

so home much do you reckon? I imagine it would be spent on some sweets, the odd magazine, and odd bits of tat. I’d be interested to see how she repsonds to the idea of saving up to get something.

The many faces of Butterbean

Getting back into the swing.

Short and sweet here I think.

Other than breakfast etc. don’t think anything much happened before heading out to the library. As ever? handing the books is wasn’t straight forward. Some of the books om SB’s card that we took out last week weren’t appearing on her list of books out – though they were down as being on loan.? We have another book which has gone AWOL in the house and we’ve run out of renewal-ability. So that had to be marked down as ‘lost’ except it isn’t they call it something else and we get another 3 months to find it without fines racking up. Sigh….

A bit of story time, a bit of colourign and sticking, making a pancake in a frying pan, as ever we were the last to finish as SB can’t be dragged away from? bit of sticking easily. Then again she is the oldest by? a long way now of course, all her same age? compatriots are in school I assume.

Home, followed by putting coats on again to go back as we left the craft work behind…… luckilly it is about a minutes walk away.

Home, rapidly gave BB some food, otherwise she tends to want/need? a sleep around 12, falls asleep and misses lunch. So she had? nibble of bread and cheese and then fell asleep in her highchair. So me and SB lunched and I read the aforesaid Mr Men books, with pauses for? quick gander at the Grauniad ‘I’ve read two, i’m just having? little rest and drink of coffee….’

Rough order of play for rest of day was some Maths ‘Match and Sort’. I wonder how long we will keep referring to it as that ? – ‘Match and Sort was the first ‘workbooky’ thing she did many moons ago (and loved). It was easy stuff for her really, just addition within 10? – tiem to move her one a bit, her subtraction is ok, might try a bit of simple multiplication seeing as she was sort of thingking about that in the car the other day. SB watching a DVD for a bit a German cartoon series called ‘Little Hippo’ – in German, BB coming into the garden with me for she pottering around, me ditto a bit, taking some piccies of her. Finshed pruning the Wisteria. Sat in the conservatory for ,little bit once we got cold, thinking that vine must be pruned pronto before it starts into growth again – maybe tomorrow. A bit more ‘work’ from SB – Expode the Code. did one of her simople crafty things from her birthday A pre-swim snack time, swmming lesson for SB, home, chips for tea, ready for bed, BB asleep, Helen home just in time before SB due to go, so she got? bit longer up.

Helen on call, had? very long day and home late, so off to bed at? sensible time. Me not so sensible….

I liked this photo though – even though it’s not quite focussed on the right place.

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Mr Men…. grrr

Ok, so we go to the library, a veritable cornucopia of childerns books lei before her. So of course SB goes and chooses SIX? Mr Men books – I ask you. Possibly the most tedious childrens books ever. And now she will want me to read them to her……..

Funky Monday

Well, as previously reported, they were all a bit lax in the getting up stakes today – good job we weren’t going anywhere this morning. I did have some plans to get into? few things, but that went by the board. By thetime breakfasting/brunching/dressing/packing bag was done it was time to be going out pretty much.

Off again to another CHEF? thing – this time get together at a local (as if anything HEdders do is local to us, except visiting us…) soft play centre.? Pretty standard climbing about soft play sort of place really – nice spiral tube slide though. But a nice enough place, a lot more space for parents to sit around, and babies to poddle about in though than most, which was nice, they even have? a few sofas. Reasonable food a drinks as well. THe groups gets a decent discount and a few tea/coffee thrown in
Of course you need to know who the HE children are so you can play with them. Once I managed to get SB introduced to a few then she was much happier charging about, though didn’t really liek the footbal bit much (there is a small football area, with soft ball. but she isn’t really much of? football girl, and the others were moslty bigger than her bya? few years) but as ever really hard to drag her away from the place while others were still there.

BB poddle about a fair bit, she did go in the toddler bit? couple of times, though I think she preferred the bigger kids place, managed after? bit of effort to clamber up the sort of solpey-step thing to the top of the little slide. I played with BB? and sat and drunk coffee and chatted with other HE parents so good to get to knew? a few more new faces. Shame I can never remember their names to start with.

Eventually dragged SB away to go home to find Helen resting with? a migraine. There was a present for SB form her godmother in the post, so she opened that. A rather nice Roman jigsaw. A bit on the hard side for her at the moment, but she did a lot of the edge and some of the middle before she subcontracted the rest out to me. BB wakign up part the way through didn’t help much with a jigsaw on the floor (must get the old table we ahve been offered from my parents to put in the playroom for a BB free zone.)? Plenty to look at talk about in the jigsaw though
Cooked tea for them – tofu and veg stir fry and noodles, at SB’s request – what a good girl :-) !, a bit of play and then bed. SB took a little time to get to sleep, but probably not surprising.? Must hit sack soon as well.

Overdoing it?

I think SB maybe have been overdoing it a bit, and not have caught up on her sleep. It’s 10.30 and she is stil asleep (though she was awake a 5.30, but then fell asleep when the aklarm clock went off at 6.30…) BB only woke up half an hour ago, and then she drunk 4oz of milk from bottle in one go, which is equally bizarre behaviour? for her. Time for her brekkie and then getting SB up I think .

Happy 5th Birthday Stringbean

Five years ago I was back in the hospital awaiting your birth, now you are five years old, oh how that time seems to have flown. Last year, maybe even 6 months ago, you still seemed to retain a little bit of that ‘toddlerness’ about you. But that’s gone now. sometimes, in your language, and your behaviour you seem so grown up, and then you can flip back into a little girl again, just like that.

I love your energy, your excitement with things, your thought and explainations of how things work, even if they are totally wrong :-) I love the way one minute you can be ‘princessing’ about, the next you are ‘killing’ things around the garden with your sword. I love your dancing, your little ‘shows’, your love of climbing trees and your general derring-do.

I love you ‘sticking and gluing’, how it’s always over the top, with as much stuck on as possible.

I love seeing you display your increase confidence you have, dealing with new situations and making news friends etc. This last year was a year of a lot of big changes for you, that you didn’t ask for. You found some of it difficult, but you have managed to deal with it and continue to flourish in our new situation. I am very proud of you.
I love the way you relate to your sister Butterbean, you are so loving, caring and thoughtful towards her, and you play with her so beautifully, you have a much stronger realtionship with her than I expected with her at this age.

You are on the cusp of really grasping some major new skills – reading and writing, which will open new windows into the world for you in exploring it, understanding it and expressing your self. We really believe that our decison to home educate is the right one, it is possibly the single most important decison regarding your future we might make, I hope we are right, we would hate to have let you down.

I love you Stringbean, with a strength of emotion that is almost scarey at times, you bring me happiness and delight, in innummerable ways every day. You really do light up my life, Happy Birthday, enjoy it.

i came to do a similar type post. Chris – the first up! has beaten me too it. And said it all so well. SB, you are deeply loved and adored by both your parents. We are looking forward to another fantastic year of loving you and watching you grow and develop. Hugs and kisses, Mummy.

Back in action.

Ah, that’s better :-)

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‘Ahh, cute baby’

Which was a couple of 11-12 yo girls at the HE group exclaimed when Butterbean was being her best cute self – of course they were right and we know that? – but it’s nice to hear others say it :-)

Anyway, yesterday, as part of our get out and meet more local home edders and try out some more group things me and the girls went to anothe CHEF group. This time one of the monthly group gatherings? – basically like Mudpud but slighty more organised, and some with bigger children. SB slept in like the proverbial log, I had to pretty much drag her out of bed at 9 am so as to have? chance of leaving on time. Just about managed it.Theme was on the heart, and so there were a number of heart related activities, which we did some of. Made heart biscuits, measured heart rate before and after exercise, some heart shaped little basket things, and of course? a fair bit of milling about by children. M, one of the girsl on or Botanic gardens trip recently who is almost exactly the same age as SB, and who? played together all the time pretty much? was there, so they did some more bonding. There was a bring and share lunch which was nice, and i managed to over some my normal reticence at such things and actually talk to a few grownups.? BB is? a little bit of hard work at times as she heads off in al directions, and has? habit of dashing through doors once they are opened, but moslty poddle about draggin one or two large hoops with her. There was a plan to go with M and coupleof others to the park afterwards, but it was rather cold and rainy, so we poped round M’s house. Within about 2 minutes they were in the princess/ballerina outfits – a kindred spirit here it seems. Grownups drank tea and chatted of course, BB poddled happily. Sadly due to some sort of problem with our mobile network me and Helen didn’t manage to snyc.

Can’t really remember much else after we headed home.Girls spent some time playing with Helen while I got tea etc. ISTR SB spent ages on a Jump Ahead CD on the ‘pute. Other than SB took ages to get to sleep (10.30 or later) – which she doesn’t actually seem to like.’ I don’t like being? nightowl’ she wailed at me at one point.

So of course, seeing as we had no hurry this morning, she was awake at 6 am, though managed to avoided getting up until almost the normal time (about 6.45) so instead of a little time to drink a cup of tea in peace, I was playing a game with SB. Been a bit of? strained day at times really, SB got tired later, I was very tired as well, so patches of grumpiness, and with helen not home until turned 6pm, a long day. Breakfast was a plaver – didn’t want an offred boiled egg until I had cooked BB one, when suddenly it was desirable. When i’d done here one, she picked up plate, egg cup is? bit wobbly, and egg end up splat on the floor. so by the time I’d done another one it seemed to have been boiling eggs all morning. Tiem between then and goign out to library disppeared in hanging up washing, sorting out? some clothes, getting dressed, finding books etc.? as ever, being round the corner we always get there just? a bit late… So story time, bit of colouring and sticking etc. then home for a slightly early lunch to catch BB before she fell asleep in her highchair. Much reading of library books, including SB doing some of it. Watched? bit of video she bought second hand from the library (costs the same as renting one and we don’t get fined when we forget it’s only? a weeks loan….) It was Paddington Bear, but not the TV series ones, something else, and not so good. Odd mix of characters with UK and US accents. Though it seemed to be? set in the UK.

Went outside in the garden for? bit even though bit cold and damp. BB bundled up in her waterproof suit seemed happy? pottering about- realised she was foraging bits of bread for the bits from the lawn and eating them. SB wasn’t really dressed warm enough and didn’t last so long. Once back inside she was flaggin and rather wailey. so we sat down with hot chocolate and biccies. both of us were a biot grumpy at this point and so wasn’t a warm and cuddly as it might have been. We did get out Explode the code and Miquon maths but it didn’t happen some how, what with one thing and another for some of the time we just snuggled up for a nice cuddle..

Then before we knew it was time to get ready for her swimming lesson. We can now watch them if we want. Which is good, but not as relaxing as it might be as BB needs attending – not the sort of area where she can poddle about so much, so I plied her with flapjack. But nice to SB doing her stuff.? Various exercises aimed at them learning breast stoke it would seem, or as SB calls it ‘Big’s Stroke’ (of Making it Up fame) from when she saw her doing it at Muddlepuddle Camp at Kessingland last year.

Came home to a chip supper, while I foraged at the local chip emporium SB turned into? pirate (though at one point in a bus???) . When we went up for the bath we had to leave the lights off and she peered into the distance with her cardboard roll telescope. SB went to sleep fine, but SB had been sleep in the car on the way back and so was resistant until past 10 pm.

I was goign to go bed early (as in before 11) but I haven’t? – surprise – but I am going now. A text from Merry is offering us the opportunity to get messing with some PVA tomorrow – intriguing :-)
Shutter fingers are getting twitchy here, but I’ve bought? secondhand one from Ebay, so normal service should be resumed soon

Withdrawal symptoms

Arrived home a little while ago from Muddlemuddle Camp at Melrose, via a couple of days stopover at Helen’s Aunt and Uncle’s house. Lovely time, only marred by the decision of our camera to stop working on the first day :-(. So now got the twitches as don’t get to download ooodles of piccies to the ‘puter on arrival home. Ok I know Merry sub contracted out her photo taking to us at Melrose, and that we got to see lots of them atheir anyway, but it just aint the same. Beside’s we missed lots of nice photo taking opportunities yesterday when we went to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Proper blog to follow no doubt , time to try an ignore children so I can catch up on some blogs :-)