Author Archives: HHaricot

briefly as time is short

Posted on December 16, 2008 | 5 comments

and it really is, the full OMG of what needs doing hit me when i updated our christmas planning list! i am going to see how many of the meals i can make whilst glittering with the girls from sat onwards!! chris will prob do the mince pies and perhaps cheese scones for the freezer, but he isn’t well at the moment. i am not allowed to make him laugh as he then has this weird woofing cough.

brr, it is cold in here tonight, missing the fire, and my insomnia struck again last night grr! today the girls seem to have done bits and pieces. SB has done her piano practice and maths and handwriting. she also appears to have told the leader of brownies that she doesn;t want to do her solo at brownies party last wed. apparently it didn’t go down well and she was told off. i suggested that next time she discuss with us, as i had no idea she wasn’t doing it, and nor did chris, until sunday. i think it because she lost the words. anyway, i am being proud of her for telling the leader her self, headbanging that she has done it so late, and made life tricky, but tbh, if i was brownie leader, i would prob have backup plans for things like this, so not too bothered. shame she didn’t tell us though!

and i think they have spent a vast amount of time doing xmas cards. they watched some science clips or other which they both enjoyed, and we all played games. i read – a bit late – the st lucia bit of While the Bear Sleeps: Winter Tales and Traditions to them. SB has really enjoyed the usborne books we bought from joanna. SHe has now started the Crusaders (Usborne Young Reading: Series Three) one, after we read the start of the section on crusaders in SOTW2 [The Story of the World: Middle Ages from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance v. 2: History for the Classical Child (Story of the World: History for the Classical Child (Paperback)) ]. I see what you mean Merry!! I think the Usborne version is a bit more even handed!! we had also finished the samurai section, which went well with one of the other books Samurai (Young Reading (Series 3))
from jo. i would really recommend the usborne young readers books. they seem to have a nice reading style, enough pictures for the facts! we have also been dipping into Crusaders, Samurai and Aztecs (The Childrens Picture World History) that we got as a remaindered book from a library.
bit more french practice in a mild way, and the day was done. chris is doing the big sainsbury order at the mo. i should still be doing appraisal stuff [boohoo]

5 Comments

Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean's HE, daubing and making, General, geography, history, language, little languages, music, numeracy, pre reading, science, Stringbean's HE, writing

musical mondays – oh come all ye faithful

Posted on December 15, 2008 | Leave a comment

you know you love it! it doesn’t matter which version. ok maybe it does aargh! but you have to sing along!! now, i have a soft spot for enya, and also for adeste fideles, but not for this. I have a feeling i am quite catholic in my carol tastes! i have a soft spot for jose carreras too, but… [and no, english isn't his best language is it!]

lets just sing along again!

encore!

Leave a comment

Posted in General, music to love

let the glitterfest begin!!

Posted on December 14, 2008 | Leave a comment

well, we all got up late, as the girls were up till 1am last night – in spite of having a v grumpy mum and dad!! [and unfortunately they are pestering this eve too.] BB and I did some maths and writing practice and read a read nose reader [all at her insistance] SB spent ages making presents [and i am keeping stumm until given] she was doing it so dedicatedly and happily that i made no mention of piano practice!! at meal breaks they got to watch some magic school bus – BB wanted to watch it in french [!]. their french is coming on a treat. when i ask in french what an x says [eg cow] they can both quickly make the right noises. our french conversation as is is off pat, so time to dig out some more vocab. we did some french yesterday and today. A hiatus as i decided the playroom was way over my tolerance levels, and the repeated use of the word bin chivvied the girls into action. it’s not exactly [or even nearly] tidy, but it it is bearable to me.

the baker ross order was finally delivered! so BB was desperate to glass paint the plastic christmas themed keyrings that some members of the family will be blessed with. SB declined to follow suit, and instead made angels from an old template we had. TBH, i think the freestyle paper plates at helmsley were a better design, but hey ho! BB joined in, and then there was a glitter fest plus feathers. we haven’t decided whether to hang them on the tree, or make a decoration with them.

a bit of xmas card making – must post some out since there are a lot done, and whilst we were crafting, i went over the second and third chapters of minimus with SB, and she seems to have remembered a fair bit. she did correct my pronunciation twice :lol: .

we had tea watching Merlin and then they went to bed – initially seemingly succesful, letting me get on with more of the appraisal bumf. i must do some music with them both next week.

Leave a comment

Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean's HE, daubing and making, early maths skills, language, little languages, pre reading, Stringbean's HE

Back in Time

Posted on December 13, 2008 | 8 comments

going visiting little nanny always seems like stepping back in time. i have been to that house at least several times a year all my 40 years, and often more! it breathes memories to me and wraps me up in the childhood experience, and i feel loved and not in charge! though more and more i am in charge when i go, so that it all goes smoothly.

my parents were there today as well, doing a variety of jobs for nanny and a pre-xmas visit, as she is with aunty margaret this year. so the plan was we would arrive just before lunch, and we would have lunch out as a treat. so bb did a wee in the car :roll: she hasn’t done that for AGES, so we had no spare anythings, so on arrival chris nipped [well, it was chris, so not that nippy i guess!] to woollies [that will be a hole in the high street] and bought emergency clothes. whilst he was out, the girls played, sb playing several hands of rummy, and bb just being bb!

we went out and unfortunately i ordered wrong thing for bb [her fav of jack pot and beans rather than the macaroni cheese that sb had :roll: ] so she wailed stropped and generally did my head in! i do prefer being in charge, and taking the meal ready there. oh well, it was a nice idea, and once we had agreed a compromise – thanks to SB – of each having half the jacket pot and bb having 1/3 macaroni chees, and them both having unlimited chips off my plate – as they were funny dipped chips that came with an otherwise nice spicy veggieburger – we were fine! oh, except sb’s meal came with a child thingy and bb’s didn’t. luckily the till lady took pity on us, and bb got a kung fu panda gift as well :roll: [this post seems to have a lot of :roll: so far!]

anyway, back to nanny’s [after a minor lost key disaster - found, in the car :lol: :roll: ] and then settled to playing. sb and i played junior monopoly with little nanny [she won] and mum played guess who with bb. all good happy times. sb shew off her ballet skills, and bb sang. we reminisced a bit, and i tried to meddle with little nanny – but only gently, and v gently, as always, she told me she was in charge. but she does know she has a home here if ever required. i think the length of time that offer is required is drawing much shorter.

dad and chris did jobs – bless them – so def not worthy of an alesha dixon song! [as blogged on the manor born] they drilled a hole [it took about 2 hours!!!] and moved the freezer. my dad seemed particularly tetchy today. which is unusual, though he finds a prolonged stay at little nanny’s difficult [he tends to the recluse really] and he firmly believes the time has come for her to leave her home and live somewhere sheltered, primarily due to the amount of stress it puts mum under, racing too and fro. i do think nanny is now living there by the skin of her teeth – ie its ok, but she finds shopping and getting out near impossible, so is lonely. and if she lived somewhere sheltered near one of the 3 of us, so we could pop in most days, i am sure she would be happier. but, it is most clearly her choice, and she is managing – but with a lot of visits and we all live distant [i am closest] and feel guilty for not going more often. aarghh. but i do strongly believe it is her right to chose this, so…

anyway, it was lovely to see her and have fun altogether and hear about old times and her enjoy having 3 generations with her.

8 Comments

Posted in General

Dereham Church viewed from the top of the Sandy Lane area, by M & L National

Posted on December 13, 2008 | Leave a comment

the houses were prob not long built here. my grandparents were the first tenants

Leave a comment

Posted in General

Dereham, Bird’s Eye View 1966

Posted on December 13, 2008 | Leave a comment


Dereham, Bird’s Eye View 1966, originally uploaded by suewhite.

sometimes flickr can take you to unusual places. my nan is living here and was then. i can see her house

Leave a comment

Posted in General

christmas is coming

Posted on December 13, 2008 | 3 comments

how did i start off ahead and then end up behind?? i just don’t understand?
anyway, this week the girls and chris went to his parents yesterday, did some HE stuff, baking and generally having fun. today they went to a christmas party at city2 and really enjoyed that. we mad some sweeties altogether when i got home, and we have all decorated boxes for them to go in [which i am desperately hoping will be dried tomorrow morning!
on the house front we now have the roof insulated and have bought some door curtains, so must get them up, as our elec and gas bills are creeping up!
tomorrow to little nanny’s house to drop presents off [if dry!] as she is off to aunty M for xmas

3 Comments

Posted in General

hearting

Posted on December 10, 2008 | 11 comments

today i took my first and second anatomy classes ever! and no-one managed to accidentally dissect off their own fingers either. no fainting, and i think they all did well. we did have some ground rules – if you stopped wanting to do it, stop doing it and tell me. if you want me to do it and show you, tell me, and when you’ve ‘found something’ let me tell you what it is. so we found lots of things. I just managed without gloves as there was only enough for kids by going ‘in role’ and that way i could also block out the smell of the abbatoir! not that i have ever been in one, but still… since the majority of the kids were veggies like me i think we all have a pat on the back. but they did all seem to v much enjoy it, and they found everything. we only had one leaver, and that was after everything found, and i think the smell was becoming a bit much. hopefully no nightmares… the littlies did other stuff as well with listening to hearts etc, and i must listen to one of them again, as well as getting the biguns to do it. this is a rather fab website with various sounds on it, as is this one, and i will revise before next week!.

Michelle kindly took all the pictures this time, as my hands were somewhat too mucky for the camera – though actually they didn’t make much mess at all [to my surprise]. hopefully i will get a juicy big email of them, or something!! ANyway, the piece de resistance came at the end, as one had a lung attached and most people had a go at inflating it with a straw. [ady mr health and safety prob wouldn't think this such a good idea, but they each had their own straw!] anyway, c and SB inflated one side fully to everyone’s delight. i def did not want a go – yuk!

we cleared it all away and opened windows and doors, and maybe i should have taken a scented candle, but the smell did dissipate, and thanks katy for hosting something that wasn’t particularly pleasant! the biguns did latin – sb said it was chapter 4, and v happy with that, and the littlies did french – bb even stayed in the french, which made life easier for me.

J had made a fab cake to celebrate gina’s birthday, so we sang to her and enjoyed the cake! some playing and we came home to find the loft insulators leaving – hoping to cut down on a few bills. must put up the curtains for doors as well.

SB had a brownies party and then received her judo certificate. I have to say the judo cert is fab. i must photo and flickr. it is a work of art [and free]. i am still migrainous, but settling, so back to work tomorrow, so i must do some stuff for work [hence early blog, as a distraction!]

11 Comments

Posted in Butterbean's HE, early maths skills, General, language, little languages, online resources, pre reading, SB-PE, science, socialisation, Stringbean's HE

A post with some HE in it!

Posted on December 10, 2008 | 1 comment

it looks like it has been a while :blush: . luckilly, some HE has been going on!! SB has done a fair bit of maths, piano practice and handwriting, and a bit of spelling and music theory. she has read her new usborne books on samurai and aztecs and crusaders. She as also read hundreds [ok i exaggerate] of library books, done a lizard picture for sketch tuesday.
on Sat SB had her judo party, and really enjoyed the disco, and we have some fab photos at some point to flikr [well behind on helmsley though] and she has had a swimming lesson today and an HE playdate yesterday.
BB has carried on with loads of letter writing, some maths – she is considering how adding works at the moment. i really must remember her phraseology! she is deciding whether it makes sense anyway. but what if i add 2 things? will it still be 6?? [after 5 plus 1]. and also poisson rouging, jigsawing and crafting – an angel at library crafts, and painting all the animal picture frames she got as a birthday present. she wants to do recordering and music theory too now. there is no holding her!
we have as a family read some french books and had some french conversations – bb suspiciously asking – are you doing that in french again :roll: [ :lol: ] mind you, she has chosen to watch 2 videos in german – heidi and some crazy fairy story one.
As a family we have put up and decorated 2 christmas trees and got out the nativity scene. BB insisted the baby had to go in it as it might cry. i have been to a rather excellent planning meeting for the wednesdqay stuff, and chris is off to a planning meeting tomorrow. so, amidst the excitement of violin case buying, other stuff has happened!!

1 Comment

Posted in Butterbean's HE, Dance/drama, daubing and making, early maths skills, history, language, literacy, little languages, music, numeracy, pre reading, SB-PE, socialisation, Stringbean's HE, writing

musical mondays – christmas edition 1!! gaudete

Posted on December 10, 2008 | Leave a comment

first by the mediaeval baebes [once i had got over their name i like lots of their renditions]. i think this might be a bit slow mind you, and i don’t like the change in rhythm. but the diction is clear!
not quite my thing at all! steeleye span!!
honestly!! where is the version i would like!! you would have thought it would be easy.
hmm, still not right. i had no idea i was so fussy.
not so sure about the weird dynamics, but the closest so far. and i def like the accompanying instrumentation at the beginning, though it gets overdone [imho].
just as I was going to give up the search, here we are. thank goodness! not perfect :wink: but i think i just like *my* version on cd!! they are here as well, with a slightly altered version. yeah, this is more like it isn’t it!

Leave a comment

Posted in music to love