Author Archives: HHaricot

doctors today

SB doesn’t have anything lifethreatening, and I can ignore lymph nodes and falling over [did know I was being paranoid]
her rash is eczema rather than fungal – not sure whether that is good or not. She has never had eczema before and it is a huge patch up her legs on both sides?
I have tonnes of migraine medication and will receive a date for the Mirena.
Another box ticked!!!

Snowed v heavily – good inch or 2 [OK, not as much as Karenb ] SB in her snowsuit, and got to nursery as they were all piling outside to play, so she was v excited. Traffic appalling – as it always is in snow, so I’m waiting a little bit then going in to Infirmary to do interminal photocopying.

There, what a blog addict!!

RANT RANT RANT………………

Crap vegan/vegetarian study published all over. those poor kids in Kenya did NOT have anything like the western vegetarian diet. it is neither comparable or extrapolatable.
RANT SHOUT RANT SHOUT

phonics working

SB seems to be getting the hang of blends. I’ve been using JP flashcards, and have 3 piles we rotate, and have been adding to them. we now have 39 cards on the go, of which the alphabet is ok, some of the easier combinations are ok, and she quickly remembers on prompting the others. This has carried across to reading, and simple words can be sounded, and with a bit of encouragement, read. Feel really proud of her. She also did some letter tracing [though not getty and dubay as not june], which she normally avoids.

Got my ebay usbourne time traveller, so we read some of the castle bit as bedtime story – her choice – followed by a first hymns cd.

I’m happy as my research submission to the international continence society uk arm meeting was accepted – even if only as a poster presentation, so we will be going to the glasgow secc end of March. Any ideas for SB while I’m at the conference?? [obviously with chris]

Chris adds:

Regular cafe stops for me and SB are an essential of course…….

My June List [other wise known as how to spend ?40 a week!]

As I’m a bit worried computers will die on move, and bits of paper easily lost, I am going to write my ‘june list’- otherwise known as fantasy education’s ?40 per week!!

I have a feeling it will be terribly long, and need pruning, there will certainly be overlaps, cos then I can think about which I prefer! Also, luckilly, not all of it will be needed straightaway [if at all], but if buying from sonlight or rainbow resources, you might as well do an order and get it over and done with!!

I hope to get criticism of tried and dire things and recommendations of alternatives if you think of something better. It will mostly be aimed at a 4-5 SB, who is quite bright, can concentrate when in the mood, loves stories, cdroms and workbooks [match and sort!] and is v inquisitive, so seems well suited at the moment for home ed.
obviously i would be hoping to ebay some of this!!

    Maths

singapore [have 1 and 2]
miquon [have orange and red]
magimixer
orchard toys ooky spooky game
a bit later on mosaic maths
geomags – surprisingly!

    English

as many nice books as we can afford!
cheapy ebay phonics mixture JP and letterland
leappad phonics – have got
getty and dubay italic writing

    History


susan wise bauer series

usbourne time traveller [have got it now from ebay]
a timeline thingy [prob self made]
D K History explorer CDrom

    Science

berentstain bears
Sarahs science packs
rainbox 100
bags of science magnet faces
? become a science explorer

    geography

junior globe
?dk become a world explorer cdrom

    music

have violin , piano, recorder etc
music snap

    general cdroms

jump ahead year 1
dk learning ladder years 1 and 2

    languages

german muzzy [have got]
german dvd [have got - execrable sesame street disaster]
german leap pad book [got one, and 1 mistake!!]

latin’s not so tough

spanish to follow [as have got the muzzy]

    physical education/drama

? stagecoach
fun yoga dvd

ideas from other people

touch typing for kids [heather]
Laminated map [Alexia]
pentominoes [Alexia]
zoombinis later [Merry]
pattern palette [debbie]

Virtuous violin

I have been doing my practice! Can nearly bluff my way through the saint saens organ symphony part, will do the grieg piano tomorrow. The repeat next week. So the concert the following saturday hopefully will not be as stressful.
i’m in seconds as a guest, but actually would find it easier in firsts, as I’ve played both pieces as a first before, and you’re aided by knowing the ‘tune’. Luckilly in the saint saens, the first and seconds at least play at the same time most of the time, so counting in the same.

Our snow now melted

Busy Day

Well, felt it! Chris and SB went to the tip with all the ‘maybe useful one day’ items, and then to the storage place to find the 6-9 month clothes.
Also had to get the size 2 nappies from the loft, as the sandies and daisies don’t do up, and the tots only just. kissaluvs and med fuzzi’s ok. SB such a skinny shape she was about 15 months before into size 2 – and even on potty training the kissaluv size 2′s were always crossed over.

I searched house from top to bottom for swimming card, but didn’t find it.

We did jolly phonics sounds and blends, and starting to see an improvement, so obviously SB always being teacher doesn’t stop her picking it up. In truth, it was her snake getting it right!

We then went swimming [I talked my way in without card] – SB loves it, and we were in the pool for nearly 2 hours. She mostly loves drowning, though now I have to do it with her. No swimming, but waggling all 4 limbs somewhere near bottom of the pool – I call it being confident in the water! BB also loves it, and was in for 30 mins. She floats beautifully ad waggles on her back. In fact, letting go she still floated, but looked a bit concerned, so we didn’t do it much. Katy mentioned she had a neoprene jacket for Becca. so may look on ebay for BB as she was a bit cold.

SB was playing with Brio with Chris, but just yelled from bathroom that she missed the toilet, but not wee’ed on the ‘spensive carpet. She only went an hour ago. Honestly.
BB is under her playgym ‘talking’ to the giraffe. From explosive sound needs a nappy change, but will let sort out SB first!

BB slept through beautifully last night. I wish SB would.
Snowing intermittantly here, not settled as yet.
Will do a bit of singapore maths in a bit.

edited to add: no singapore maths, but instead read 3 books [12 stories!!!!] of thomas. now on permafeed duty

SB’s love song

As sung to us in the car – tunelessly though!!

I love everyone in the world. I love all the people. I don’t love the monsters, never,never. I even love mummy, daddy and alys. I love myself most of all, I love myself best of all [sprechgesang mode ad infinitum]

We do often make up songs, but this one gave us a laugh.

quiddler again

and why isn’t ‘zen’ a word. [or 'satay']
Still no defenders for ‘unquieter’ out there. Did the word come up on the cheater programme??
Bed time

Inconsequential mutterings

SB attention improved after yummy Ken Hom, and we did Hama E’s together, and did then ‘order’ the cuisinaire rods [so good thing I left them out]

As I cuddled SB and BB together, I though SB felt particularly stringy, and BB particularly buttery, so we measured their waists – each 56cm . Now can’t decide which to be worried about, SB eats well but too skinny, or BB eats well and too chubby?? I might have to get SB weighed to see if diving off centiles [paranoid mother alert]

V peeved, as although we have a full structural survey on house, with a company that are good with listed buildings, the mortgage company insisting we have to pay another ?550 for one of theirs to do a quickie valuation survey. Complete con, as is exorbitant solicitor fees – ?650 to sell, ?1300 to buy and the ?400 as part of the mortgage application legal fees. Humph

I think I am so grumpy due to chocolate withdrawal – it has now been 4 days.

giggled at SB
a) on looking at brightminds catalogue at all the things she likes – ‘ don’t worry mummy, we can buy it on ebay’
b) to chris clearing loft of ‘useful things’ – ‘don’t throw that wood away, it might be useful.’
they do learn young!

Microscopic attention spans

Since the jolly phonics and webland this morning, we have been butterfly like. flitting from one thing to another – hama, cuisinaire rods, jump ahead maths, cooking, seed sowing, making necklaces, wiring with daddy etc.
i offered painting, playing etc, but flitting was order of the day. I hate flitting!! Especially when tidying some of it up causes massive whinge attack!
We probably should have gone to the park for a good runaround. i just fancied a quieter day in for a change. running around now scheduled for tomorrow.
Anyway, have a yummy smelling Vietnamese stew in the wok [a ''Ken Hom'] and rice nearly ready. Where is the red wine??