Author Archives: HHaricot

Today – I still won’t get round to blogging about Melrose!

Posted on February 8, 2007 | 2 comments

Busy day here today. Sb decided she would have a hair braid for everything she did today, and ended up with 6. She finished yesterdays MPH 1B so got the first. We then did bean and pasta collages. BB did 2 in dramtic style, and SB did 1 of a ghost BB [?] and 1 of a tree in a garden. we did liberally sprinkle glue and beans around the kitchen as well. (second)
So a change of venue whilst I tidied up. SB read a charlie and lola book, BB and I did some gears [oogly googly] whilst listening to Yo Yo Ma play Bach. then Sb did some explode the code 4 – we haven’t done any for a while, so she had got out of practice, but I think her reading skills have consolidated a bit, so time to carry on. (third)

We had lunch [home grown sprouting brocolli - it also makes pH water], and BB keen to watch telly, so I put on an usbourne first french video. [feeling mean] but BB loved the singing, and Sb remembered some of the colours from education city. (fourth).

Back into the playroom for some fun altogether, and BB chose the language baby einstein and kleine hippo’s for background noise [not so relaxing] she has worked out that if you press the space bar it stops and starts – hmmm. We then painted a plate for Grandad’s birthday, but BB wan’t so keen, so we did kid k’nex whilst SB did the painting. (fifth)

We were going to do some violin, but BB didn’t give us a chance, and chris was working in the garden, so not available for distraction. We did all go out into the garden, and looked at the ice in the pond and waterbuts, and where the wendy house is going to be. The girls rampaged around outside for a bit longer, so I started making the curry for dinner and uploading photos [half of which didn't so will restart them!]

They were freezing when they came in, so wrapped up in duvets in front of bob the builder – BB fell asleep – aaargh, which is why she is still up. SB did some education city (sixth)- a bit of english, a fair bit of science and a bit of french. its quite clear from the activity tracker that she does the maths and science the most. it has been a good buy so far. Then mooched around nick jr and poisson rouge. We tried to wake up BB to no avail, so she had a 4 hour sleep.

We had a fuss about ballet clothes. Her dance teacher says the character skirt is too long [it is, but mainly because chris measured her incorrectly before it was bought!] so I have had to elasticate it [it was velcro, but her teacher doesn't like velcro] and top hem it [otherwise ruins the ribbons] and also tighten the belt thing of her leotard. there was a debate about whether you sewed it on to the leotard – hope not. Ballet sewing annoys me. why can’t the belt be integral to the leotard? why isn’t the elastic on the shoes? why doen’t they age size clothes rather than ths 0 and 2 business? Anyway, she put on a happy dance show afterwards.
SB read half the ORT Viking adventure tonight as part of our bedtime routine. She loves reading, and is getting steadilly more fluent. I do like the ORT books.

BB has been singing to me. she can do the abcd part of the alphabet song, bob the builder and twinkle twinkle on loop for over half an hour!

2 Comments

Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Dance/drama, General, language, literacy, numeracy, science, writing

Tagging Flickr photos

Posted on February 7, 2007 | 3 comments

OK, I have loads of photo going up, and I have only tagged those that I have asked if they would wish it.
Advantages – you don’t have to wade through all my photos
Disadvantages – perhaps loss of incognito
I have used blog headings as the tag – rather than names
I noted that some have been wading through and favouriting, and it would prob be easier with a tag.
so… if you want a tag, email or put it in comments, and what you want it to be, and I’ll oblige [but prob next time!! friends and famiies can add tags to each other’s pictures btw

3 Comments

Posted in General

Going back a bit further – the weekend!

Posted on February 6, 2007 | 6 comments

Friday post Melrose we went to stay with Jax and Tim. Mainly because they had purchased a teapot on our behalf, so we felt suitably beholden!! [well, ok, they are good company too] A delighted SB and Big played castles with each other until they were bundled into bath and bed. this time they slept! We adults had a Chinese and a modicum of wine!

On our way there we had stopped with friends in Leeds [S and T and baby W [nearly 2]] which was lovely. we had been reprimanded on blog about failing to visit last year, so thought we should make sure we did, and were well rewarded with good company, babies playing and tea from a teapot. rather foolishly, we drove home via our leeds house and I cried. SB recognised Molly and Terry net door’s house, but not ours. my lovely shed was still there. sob sob.

So to Saturday, and luckilly we were going to the wedding in stages, so Jax’s lot could have mayhem getting ready in the morning, and us over lunchtime. My lovely top didn’t fit, and I didn’t like the other one, so I was rather boringly dressed! Since tim put a few piccies on his ‘pute at lunchtime, i had a look at Kirsty being ravishing, and James looking quite sedate [for a change] lovely. We all enjoyed meeting up with lots of old friends, some we had just parted from, but some not seen for ages. The children turned into a pack instantly and lots of games went on – mostly of the running about variety! plentiful good food [always important!] and a fantastic ceilidh, luckilly for Kirsty there were lots of home educators to dance and cause consternation for the caller [i am thinking particularly of Ros's man-stomp impression, and Nic doing a saturday night fever routine - priceless] We mostly made it up TBH, and half the time she forgot to call. The children had a wail of a time [sometimes literally].

Went back to jax and Tim’s with K’s satnav. hmm, it only kicked in after 20 mins, when we had eventually found the motorway – not best impressed! children fell into bed in nanoseconds, and we adults didn’t – ho hum!

Still, we breakfasted early, said goodbye to the teapot and satnavved all the way to K’s for a 6 year old’s party. i was majorly impressed and amazed by the stash of crafts. BB fell in love with the big mouses [guinea pigs!] and fish, and we hardly saw the girls. We adults chatted, and there was a lovely local home educator there with her 3.

SO an easy drive home. Apparently claire from the monkey house saw chris at a service station – should have said hello! And we saw the beautiful moon. SB very excited because when she chose to play the ‘mists of time’ game it did get all misty. chris less impressed by her magic skills.

I will add photos btw – chris is being ruthless [roofless?] with them at the moment.

6 Comments

Posted in Butterbean, Dance/drama, General, Out and About, socialisation

going back in time – Monday

Posted on February 6, 2007 | 5 comments

aargh to be back at work after not enough sleep!!

got there and steadily through the morning a mega migraine snuck up. when I had nearly ‘been unwell’ on a poor love, i thought I’d not hang on into the afternoon. Sat in the car and cried about driving it home. it is a shame that when I got home I parked on the drive though!

Swigged loads of tablets and gradually improved. Came home and SB was telling me about local group sports and doing some education city. We then read a body book together [BB was asleep] and I was rather proud that she still knows the femur, humerus and pelvis names, and a good stab at veins, arteries and circulation. BB awoke so we all made a marble run for a bit [design and technology] with SB and I making it for BB to put marbles down. We then looked at castles…

Chris’s parents came round on their way back from the shops and to hear about our hols. SB and Nana painted a paint a piggybank [well felt tip it] which I have also seen in other home-educators houses, so obviously a popular Xmas pressie! Must take a piccie.

tea, stories and bed. I went to bed at same time as SB, and she read the giant one of the ORT flawlessly [applause!]

Nic, in spite of your gentle mocking, I have decided to continue with bolding! SO star trek! Might even change categories to slot them into national curriculum too, just in case… [must discuss with chris]

5 Comments

Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, General, literacy, numeracy, SB-PE, science, socialisation, Stringbean's HE

Dilemma!

Posted on February 5, 2007 | 13 comments

SB’s birthday castle!

this had been the one she wanted, as she liked the add on dungeon

I also liked th fact that if she does enjoy playing with it and she likes it, we could add this on

however, having played with Big’s, she is rather taken by this

c’mon – opinions please!!

13 Comments

Posted in Daft Stuff, General

packed

Posted on January 27, 2007 | 1 comment

I think. if its not in there, its not coming!!

oh, and BB still up, and bless her, but SB still awake but being ‘as good as gold mummy’

so I have tacked on bunny’s ears and tails fairly crapply,? but she’ll be soooo chuffed.

1 Comment

Posted in General

three cheers for SB

Posted on January 27, 2007 | 4 comments

she has been a blessing. As soon as Chris and BB had gone to bed, things got a bit easier. SB tidied her bedroom while I packed her clothes. We have mostly tidied the play room. when she got antsy i looked at her and said [in the blackadder voice] who’s tired, shall i go to bed and leave you to it [i know i know!] anyway, half way through, I said she had been being so good, that if she carried this on she could have an early birthday present – cue total angelicness! She insisted we needed background music, but failing to find her first songs and hymns [a cd that causes chris to lose 2 mm of molars each time] we listend to evil egyptians – and yes, she was word for wording it! So we did manage to do some home ed around egypt as we considered what we had learnt too alongside the cd.
SO she has made cards for Kit and Aprilia [think kits is an archaeopterixx, well, it appears to be a dinosaur with feathers, and Aprillia is looking at a fairy on a christmas tree - very themed!] BB woke up, and did 2 cards too – I am afraid that she is at that card making stage, and I will say no more!

chris finished packing for BB as I had had a wobbly over finding things [thankyou hun] SB did education city [bit of all the sections, but it is clear she does the maths and the science ones the most from the tracker thingy, even though I have divied it all up into 12 weeks] and BB and I read a book or 6, did some lego and messed up the room.

SB went and made the tealoaf with chris, BB and I played and read and sang nursery rhymes. Now Chris and the girls are watching trek on the tele about wildebeast, so I have heard all about the river crossing thing [why doesn't someone just make the poor things a bridge], i have whizzled up the fruit purees for melrose [so I guess we are coming then] made a stab at seeing the worksurfaces in the kitchen and made the girls tea. It is an ‘unusual’ fusion meal of cheesy pasta, veggie sausages and peas!

i guess I should call them in, but enjoying 5 mins of peace and quiet! have vaguely sorted my clothes. nothing to wear as got far too fat again. Mind you, I doubt Kirsty is expecting me to be a catwalk model. I will wear blending into background clothes!

After tea, will give SB her pressie should she be good about going to bed early. A bit worried about the drive up if I have to do all of it, so might be taking you up on your offer Jax. Must have an early night really, but think that I will be spending eve sorting stuff. I guess it will be a bit hit and miss what we bring!

4 Comments

Posted in art and crafts, Cooking, General, history, language, literacy, numeracy, science

aaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Posted on January 27, 2007 | 11 comments

the house is a disaster

I had a really really crap on call [ie < 2 hours sleep] chris feeling rough and gone back to bed can’t find anything, can’t bear the mess, can’t bear the overwhelming need to sleep cat has wee-ed in the suitcases may cancel melrose at this rate

11 Comments

Posted in General

quick post

Posted on January 26, 2007 | Leave a comment

chris has gone to bed very early the last 2 nights as he has a cough and not feeling brill. This means that on Thurs, very little happened while I was a t work. BB went to gym, and SB said hello to all the girls as they passed her, and did a bit of colouring, rather than anything else. I don’t think they did anything when they got home – she has played on the poisson rouge site alot. Then she had ballet. SB wants to restart gym classes.
SO today, before I went to work, I put some singapore maths on the table and getty and dubay and explode the code. SHe did do some maths, looked at a free horrible science cd rom with chris and she and BB did some glass bottle[ok plastic] painting from a kit, which they both enjoyed, and since there are a few of them, those with imminent birthdays may be blessed by a hand decorated gift! They did do something else, I am sure?

OUr singapore 2 books arrived from half moon – hooray, and excellent service. Also arrived was a cheap farm through time from ebay, so we looked at half of that when I got home. Sb also read to me another ORT book – she really is getting far more fluent, and sounding out far less words. she even made a creditable stab at ‘sympathetically’.

She also did a bit of the science leappad on how the body works, or where food goes or something! Then BB got a bit territorial, so they switched to mother goose. BB has lost the only book for her little leappad, so disaster! ‘it is actually mine’ all over the place. [i have a little sister, she is small and funny]
SB’s gone to bed listening to horrible romans – which she can pretty much quote. I have been busy on call, and may get another call shortly, so can’t bake cake, and put off doing anyhting sensible. T-bird may be ready for Melrose, but with Chris under the weather, we haven’t even started. Oh, and the new top i bought from ebay and got sent to Jax is going to be too small! [aargh]

Anyway, tomorrow SB has to make 2 birthday cards, we have to shop for monday food, pack and well maybe tidy a bit?

Edit by Chris:

It’s not so much the cough, that’s been hanging around for a few weeks now, and is probably gradually wearing off. mostly it is just annoying, esp. when I want to get to sleep. On Thursday, some other lurgy came along as I felt pretty dreadful no energy and awful back and muscle aches While I was at toddler gym thing,? i had to sit down on the mats becuase of my back – but then I felt just like lying down on the mats and going back to sleep 8-).

We managed to do? Tesco visit, via Tesco’s cafe for a top up breakfast for the girls. But i had to abandon it partway through, as i felt so bad, once we got home BB was asleep, so I collapsed on the sofa with BB, whilst SB amused herself – playing,? ‘putering, looking at a couple of books, not sure exactly.

They insisted that i give them lunch by about 3 – not really sure what else happened until ballet lesson, which I would probably have given up on but she missed last weeks due to the power cut, and will miss next weeks due to our Melrose camp.

Fed them (and us)? pretty dreadful looking dinner of pizza from the shop and baked pots. It was quite a relief to get BB into bed, as then I could just lie down and go to sleep – bliss – I was out by 9? pm

Friday was better, except I still had dreadful backache,and needed to endlessly rest it, and had to avoid picking up BB if i could.

Helen’s pretty much covered it i think – no i don’t think we did anything much else Helen, though there was fair bit of playing in between, and we did managed to clear the pre-Melrose washing backlog But her maths session did start at about 12.20. encompass lunch, and BB’s entire nap until 3 She just seems to get endlessly distracted :-)The CD ROM was one of the Free Kellogg’s ones, not bad, but it doesn’t have any sort of narration of the text, so SB needed my assistance to read and navigate it. I did have to chase them out of the kitchen after they managed to un-zero my scales twice helping measuring out for the flapjacks.