have woken up in a v but not quite d day. so am banned from work for 48 hours. but have loads i need to do there this week! it is a near disaster. and i feel yucky and girls gone out.
so sorry for myself.
have woken up in a v but not quite d day. so am banned from work for 48 hours. but have loads i need to do there this week! it is a near disaster. and i feel yucky and girls gone out.
so sorry for myself.
Posted in General
well, no, but certainly more peaceful than the last 2!
quick catchup for chris
Mon – Sports group [SB considering trying the older group now], Nana and grandad dropped off SB’s present – a HUGE tub of k’nex [SB v happy!] ballet and swimming. SB has conquered her fear of the deep, so the inline skates are hers!
Tues – piano practice, maths 2A [multiplying] library visit am [crafts and book reading], BB in playgroup pm [chris and SB tend to stay for first 30 mins and then she's happy] SB did a fairy craft kit whilst she was there. SB also did some education city – apparently it is now all to easy for her. i am humming about paying to upgrade as she hasn’t done it for ages, but she might do at the right level. guess a side order trial on the cards!
Today – well, part of the peace came from dividing and conquering! SB went with chris to a drama group – its a 4 session taster for the younger HE’ers in the area. [from the communication, I think the older group is at times 'a little uncontrolled' so not something that SB would enjoy!] The younger group is full of friends. She really enjoyed it.
BB’s morning was spent with me. we started making shapes with geomags, and the twizzlers – which she really liked. She then got out the pattern blocks and pages, so we spent a while there. She is really good at seeing which shapes will fit. painting next – lots of hand art too – as always! we then started to make olive and cheese scones for lunch, and SB and chris got back.
both girls did some webland – SB is going through a making music phase. BB also did some poisson rouge, and was very excited that a new bit – an art gallery. We had scones and fruit for lunch – sb had 6!!!! [they were very yummy - and i use past tense advisedly!]. SB did a piano practice, and i haven’t done one with her for ages, but she has regularly played older pieces in the book. it seems to have done her confidence good, and now she is much more confident at reading the notes, and so moving the hads around on the keyboard. She then decided BB could have her skates. ‘if we wait until BB has been good, then she will have grown out of them’ fair enough! Though BB did say thankyou beautifully for us ‘boughting’ them. I do love language acquisition, and the variable past tense we get. SO a lot of wild skating ensued, no broken arms.
SB did a violin practice – very good, and then BB did one too. SB went off to find a craft kit to do, and came back with the cambridge electronics kit. so we made circuits, played tunes and then did the flying disk – always a favourite. some more mad skating – getting wilder and wilder, and finally a calming down infront of pingu before tea and bed for bB, SB and i had a games session, including landlock, where she managed to put 4 gnomes together! i read her a chapter of ballet shoes – coming to the end – and she read me some of the fairy books.

Chris went out to a meet and greet with LEA. said it was interesting, friendly and useful. doing those channels of communication thing, set up by 1 of our 2 not local groups!
i have played this in a lot of youth and uni orchestras. i had always associated bruckner with the load and ready brass, and to be fair, the brass are important. but this is a very lyrical symphony, and brings back lots of good memories
Posted in General, music to love
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Posted in General
Actually I think my real mothers day present was just as we came away to Melrose, and SB bought me some flowers. i brought them to Melrose and popped them on the mantelpiece -they are prob still there as our leaving was a tad disorganised. But they were spontaeous because she thought I would like the wrapping. That really is a mothers day gift.
i knew I would get a card, because on the way home I bought a card for my mum and little nanny, so SB came with me and chose one for me to buy [rofl!]. She chose a beautiful card that really suited her – a fairy one sprinkling glitter. i would have been just as happy with a home made one – in fact i suggested a thurs card craft to some dads at melrose, but they looked horrified/sheepish/you must be joking at me!!
Antway so i came downstairs and was told i was about to have breakfast in bed. oK, i hopped under the duvet on the sofa. what would i like? hmm, onions, sweetcorn and mushrooms on toast, no? err, scrambled eggs? no? oh, something SB can make – weetabix! So she balanced that, a cup of tea and a jamjar decorated with fimo and a dafodil in it. those that read twitter will know that she tipped it all off as she reached me. never mind i said, lets mop it up and try again, so she did!!
What mothers day has mostly said to me though, is that I am not particularly shining example of motherhood. i used to be pretty good at the patience and joining in, but I had teeth in gritted mode so often today that i am suprised i can open my mouth. yes, BB is very challenging, but i think that a lot of it might be that i am just to crap to give her the attention she needs and sort out the right strategies. her and SB are screeching within 3 seconds of being left alone – and it isn’t all BB, but a majority. I can here my gritted teeth voice in SB too, which is awful. She just doesn’t care about anyones pov, whether she has hurt them, but wants what she wants when and how she wants it, instantly, always.
oops, this isn’t finished. i pressed wrong button, and will return!
SO, that has been quite stressful. for example, i bought a tiny mini violin magnet for SB to say i was proud of her for being part of the orchestra. bb whips it and says it is hers – actually before i have given it. sb looks dejected. so i do the oh no it isn’t routine. sb says its all right, bb cn have it if she wants. do you want it sb, shrug, sb do you want it. give it to who you want to mum. i gave it to you [counterpoint bb screaming its hers in background] i would like you to have it because i am proud of you giving the harder part a go and enjoying playing and getting your friends interested. well, i would like it. i take from bb – cue foaming at mouth screaming wailing and kicking. sb clenches it tightly, clear she wants it. i hug her and give her a kiss and repeat why its hers. bb in a total frenzy. oK, i should have had something for bb. but sb has a resigned and doleful air about surrendering everything to bb. should she be more encouraged to be assertive? surely if i was a good mum she would tell me what she wants? and does she side with bb to get her out of trouble because we overreact to bb??? aarghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
hmm, ok, so what have we done today? well, bb and i did some of her before the code letter f stuff [at her request!] and she was adorable. SB was doing education city science at the time. BB did some starfall and SB did some playing with webkinz. SB did some singapore maths and we did a rather excellent violin practice together. we had a stressful time getting her dance mat that hooks to the tv to work again [well, it was last used 3 years ago, when deemed too difficult] but i managed it. and i managed to get the melrose game on 2 different computers so that both could play it – well bb couldn’t so i did that for her at her insistence whilst she frothed and foamed and jumped on me until i stalked off. and sb please to see ‘her’ level. at tea, sb said she was bored and today was boring. i guess it was. but we have loads of stuff she could have done. humm. glumness alround.
Posted in Butterbean's HE, Dance/drama, early maths skills, General, literacy, music, numeracy, pre reading, science, Stringbean's HE
…we have all been well. political shenanigans at work seem to be going to cause me more angst [sigh!]
SB has had some rides on her new bike – it looks enormous – which means her old bike [puky] was obviously due a change! it is a rather lovely islabike with gears ‘and everything!’ . So she has really enjoyed riding it. I think I need to get riding again.
We have done lots of playing with castle stuff, hama-ing, plasticining. Also a fair bit of raven watching and magic school bus. Sb has been reading her usborne books bought from Joanna last week [thanks ].
We visited merry yesterday and i got to see her stockroom – always a fab experience! i was very restrained, and walked away with some gold hama beads – yes, you do want them! i oohed and aahed over the rather fab baby dinodors. I had a sneak preview of some ranges to be added as well which seemed a brill idea. May well save up for this for SB Xmas
we went on to kiddicare and finally bought a different carseat for SB, agreeing we had made a crap choice the first time – well the cars seat is fine, it just doesn’t fit well in our car. SO now we have a concord one, which fits beautifully.
I am now quivering over buying blokus and settlers of catan [is there an online version of that we could play?] but think after carseat and birthday bike i had better let bank balance recover!!
Next week i think we should really try and do some home -ed!
Posted in General
Tuesday was melrose music morning. i have to admit to have been slightly worried about this. My aim was to be as inclusive as possible, have something that should still sound good, and that it should be entirely fun with no pressure. i think the music choice was good, as there were lots of A and D players, but enough people carrying the tune [especially with me singing it too!] i hurriedly wrote a part for a cello – didn’t quite work in all places, but pretty good considering lack of anything except humming to work it out! with tuning up and setting out, we did about an hour, everyone was smiling, we got faster and faster! yep, the rhythm of the a/d group was not right – and i planned to pay that a bit of attention with the next rehearsal that never happened. but i think it did achieve what i set out for it to do, and yes, i would do it again. I did have able assistant parents encouraging me, and also then did a quick hold and check for a few would be violinists. Always good to spread the love of string around…
in the afternoon, i prepared tea [camp curry - recipe on camps page] and the children did a fab computer games workshop with Matt. SB’s had an underwater theme, and she got to see it demonstrated. BB drew a ‘cattie’.
Wed we went swimming and then a wander around the abbey. unfortunately that eve SB was sick, and our hol finished effectively then. but we had had a fab time as always.
other things of note – it was a great melrose for board games. gradually melrose evenings have become gamier for the adults, i particularly liked playing blokus and settlers of catan. [actually i love playng the games and chatting - though blokus is a surprisingly unchatty game!] the board games spilled over into kids time as well, with alot of blokus playing – both sb and bb enjoyed it, so perhaps a purchase for me to make. suggested to play merrily they should increase their games line!! i saw hare and tortoise, draughts and chess played too. i love the co-operation and friendliness if the group. there were lots of clusters of children, with different group members dependent on interest in what was going on rather than fixed friendship groups. i like that, and it was all angst free. Also the ready skill sharing – thanks to anni for showing me how to cast on, and jax for doing the sheep thing! And the ready helpfulness and friendliness. i heart Melrose! the littlies did lots of cooperative happy streeting, and BB was seen intermittently with a variety of littlies and bigger kids having fun. did i say i like the easy inclusivity of this group of kids – must be lack of hierarchical schooling that lets them still be age indiscriminate so well.
I am also seeing SB become more confident socially, and since i am so angst ridden on that front it is such a relief. It probably is because this is a fairly ‘forgiving’ group of children who seem happy to take people as they are and are prepared to like and be friendly. but this time in particular she seemed to be happy in her skin and play and have fun, with no needing to refer to me. grin.
so we were sad to miss the last day and the talent show eve [hoping the orchestra was fab] and guilty that we didn’t help with the grand clear up. thanks to all there that made the week so fab.
and yes, i am flickring!! Em is there before me, and Sarah
edited to add [no doubt first of a few addings!] we were given our sonlight order [thanks t-bird!] and BB was desperately excited and started doing her before the code and singapore earlybird with great glee. indeed she insisted on doing it every day! SB enjoyed the brain academy with aprilia and also ds-ing at other times [she specificaly wanted me to add that!] and she is very thankful for her presents. Also we all would like to thank the dinner cookers.
Posted in Butterbean, General, Out and About, Stringbean
I may yet to an SB is 7 post, but I may not!
we got to Melrose on the sunday and fell in to saying hello to old friends. BB def melrose ready, as soon disappeared for long spells playing. bit odd having my ‘baby’ so easily independent!
on monday, chris and i quickly whipped up some birthday cakes with a little help from friends, and then with lots of kiddie help, iced the cakes and also lots of digestive biscuits. i think a lot may have been eaten at that point! it was certainly difficult to keep up with new icing requests. beautiful artistry. we then had an hour of party games before a true party tea – just crisps, cake and biscuits!! SB got some pressies from us, and very generously from friends there as well. She was very happy with absolutely everything [especially since i said she wouldn't get any!]. She said it was a perfect party – awww.
She also had a knitting lesson from jax, and did lots of playing, ds-ing and had her hair crinkled. tBH, this melrose is one where i have far more photos of adults!!
we had a pre-melrose weekend at hadrians wall, staying in once brewed youth hostel with the deep enders. we all had a bit of a problem finding it, so arrived pretty much simultaneously after texting to and fro from laybys and pub carparks! children joyously and noisily enthusuastic to be on hols, a lovely hostel with nice wardens. in fact especially nice wardens considering i set off the fire alarm cooking pasta [oops!]. i think we will use it as a base again for a holiday.
early nights for all, as i was very very migrainous.
next day we upped and breakfasted [and i took bucketfuls of tablets and my new nasal things which seemed no better]. The Babs texted an ETA so we went to Hadrians wall whilst waiting – a rather bracing walk given the windiness! the children did scampering, katy and i chatted ans handed out restorative chocs as we walked back. Obviously we were out of signal, as the Babs had already got to vindolanda [and lost husband en route] so we quickly piled there.
gloriously sunny so we all said hello, children again joyous and enthusiastic to see each other, and a packed lunch eaten. As soon as we paid and got in it tipped it down! so we looked at the covered courtyard and watched the introductory video whilst rain settled.
children scampered about – and since it was muddy itwas not a positive experience for all… lots of pointing out and imagining. the hypocaust for the baths and the mock fort towers were ‘the best’ and also the recreated rooms. SB had a very thorough look at the museum with Beth and then me, and we saw the tiny ‘postcards’.
copybooks blotted by some raucous child behaviour from SB amongst others engendering a telling off from one of the staff. [and then SB got a very full telling off from me too, so was crying and sulking - great]
off to melrose, noticed our front number plate had half fallen of so fixed that. then after about 20 mins stopped for a weird tapping noise on roof – the camera!!!
otherwise a very straightforward drive to melrose . both girls disappeared with friends v quickly.
to be continued…
Posted in General, history, Out and About, Stringbean
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Posted in Daft Stuff, General