Category Archives: Books

Blogging for Chris – updated by Chris :-)

Edited to add:

Pah! Gone back to Opera, forgot it doesn’t play ball with the editor in WordPress , does weired things to the formatting of the text. Don’t like it that much anyway, might go back to Livewriter. Though WP editor is better for adding photos with Joe Tan’s Flickr Photo Album Plugin

He can pad this out perhaps?

He can try…. Can’t much get into blogging lately – always seems a bit insubstantial, haven’t really read any or Twitter much either, I did add some bolding though. And capitalised – which bugs me.

Libraryfinished Wild Read. No certificates, medals, presentations or anything! nic, do you have any spare certificates??

It’s all pretty low key at ours, then again it isn’t proper library and is run by volunteers, i’m not sure exactly how the whole thing is arranged anyway. Some of the local town libraries are having a presentation of some sorts. Anyway SB was excited with her magic bookmark :-) Girls sat down on the floor whilst having the ’1st of the month bikkies’ and sat reading books, so a good little advert for HE there :-)

SB done some maths and getty and dubay.Her writing is getting very neat know, when she wants to make is so. I was encouraging her to write smaller to fir the writing in the boxes in the maths book, which seemed to make it neater for some reason. Maths was measuring things and estimating measurements. One bit was about picking the right scale of units for things – so she got highly amused by the idea of very big and very small things for a while.
SHe is v proud bedroom now spotless.Yup, she has organised the wardrobe – he clothes (arranged of course) at one end, BB’s at the other, all the empty hangers in the middle – who does that remind you of… ;-). She was going on about tidying things away a few times a day, and I did hear myself saying one of those ‘OMG I said a parenty thing’ things ‘yes, if you put things away when you’ve finished it odoesn’t get so much of a mess’. Now if only this parent could apply that…..

random playing – some naked playing in the paddling pool, a bit too much screaming and shouting indoors. Some drawing/colouring etc. BB is very much into ‘cooking’ with the play cooker. Have to do something about storing all the food bits though. We’ve got more than we had with SB, and it all now seems to end up all over the floor, and then take ages to tidy up. BB is also very much into playing with various people/animals etc. characters and can sit for ages playing little games.

Swimming – has level 3 and nearly level 4 sign off.Shame dad didn’t have enough change (£2.50) to get the certificate and badge though (shame she didn’t get it to this term, they are included in the cost now). In some ways it’s good to get back to having some things to hang our week on and structure it around, but I do find trisping off to things later afternoon a bit of a pain.

lots of DS-ing, and has finally got her dog trained to some commands!she waited up until 9 for me to get home, and put her to bed, chatting all the while, proud of her swimming, tidying and DSing. we also chatted about rods and cones in eyes.

BTW, last week they stayed over with my parents, went to Hunstanton, for a summer seaside trip. SB likes the seafront fairground there, as was excitedly telling BB about what things she might like to go on BB stayed awake until about midnight it seems…. (sleeping on the way home)

re-edited by Helen – what on earth did you do to the length of the text lines Chris – a right old mess!!

pom pom madness

last day of SB’s cheerleading course today, which she really enjoyed. we got to see her and the class do their pompom routine. fab.

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lots of reading of the amazon books today. BB loved the 100 ants book, SB has read all the jane and the dragon ones, and flicked through the port through time and wants to start next with a sir cumference one.

we got 2 brightminds catalogues through the post today. SB went through seeing what she might fancy for christmas. she decided she would put more ticks by the things she really wanted, and then a r for really!! i should take a photo of some of them, as she obviously got v excited. She got derailed by seeing something for people just learning to read, and wants to buy it of amelie’s birthday. I said we should check with Merry, but she got out all her money from her piggy bank, and can just afford it so she wants me to know
when i order things so that she can give me the money. she is so generous it makes me proud and love her greatly.

otherwise today, i had the paddling pool out so that the girls could make the most of nakedness in the sun. oh, and i had a migraine – AGAIN

so a quiet day in

i was going to go to the inland waterways festival, as that looked fun, but it was hot, and BB needs a bit more attention. SO we stayed in, and tried to get a working pattern that incorporates 2-ness.The girls watched some edutainment DVD’d whilst i napped – chris’ll know what! [edits to add - gorillas, and also read why are people different]

When I got up, SB migrated to the ‘puter to do jump ahead, which she enjoys, and I read and cuddled BB, hoping some one 2 one would set the tone for a happy day ahead – rofl.

BB and SB both wanted to make ice lollies, so we managed to find enough bits to do that, and I also got SB to make up a tray of ice colours [paint mixed in water]. bemused, she did it, and all went in the freezer.

Since it was a nice day, I got out the cheap tent that i had got from the tesco sale a while back, and BB and I put it up. She was very impressed with it, and happily pottered inside doing some happy maize, whilst i went between her and SB trouble shooting.

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SB joined her, and they were playing so happily that i took the opportunity of digging up some potatoes. Got very stung by the nettles, and fingers still twitching a bit from that. obviously when I was at very grubbiest there was a wail about tent ownership, so we all read books together taking turns. mostly apple tree farm for BB, and stories from around the world for SB.

Decided that it was obviously lunchtime! SB and BB agreed on Muzzy German as an acceptable compromise on video, and watched the complete second level while I made home grown spuds, beans and carrots with sausages for them, and chris and i home grown spuds, beans aubergines and onion fritatta for us. yummy. SB ate hers whilst finishing watching the programme.

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Both had had a mood boost at this point, and SB did some more jump ahead and BB pottered in the tent. the paints were frozen, and both girls liked the idea of cool painting in the sun, so we did that very pleasantly and co-operatively – hooray.

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the girls then had some sweetie letters [from little nanny] that then kept them engaged for ages longer as they had made games out of them, families of colours, letters and then shops. I fed our fish, BB cycled and then SB read me the why were the pyramids built. She then harvested loads of beans and tomatoes, which I must do something with once this blog written.

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I cooked a bean [surprise!] pea, sweetcorn and lentil curry for tea, with an additional home grown aubergine and paneer curry for us – yummy. The girls watched a magic school bus episode while i did this, as CHris showering, and it seemed they might settle- they did.

BB fell asleep after tea, SB watched tots tv, read some magic tree house, and is now in bed – maybe asleep?

chris has spent all day hard at work cleaning the big arch window and getting some of the paint off it. it needs new putty and repainting with linseed based paint. will hopefully be then watertight. some bricks also need the lime mortar repointed – we know someone for advice there ;¬)

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dragonfly

rain rain go away

you know, I am definitely grumpy that we have catapulted into Autumn with not much of a summer to show for it. today was miserable weather, the evenings are shorter. grumble grumble!

anyway, today we have had a bit more of a chill day. my parents left this morning, and both me and SB were doldrummy because of it. So we have read loads of books snuggled together with BB as well in a heap on the sofa. The new shelf reorganisation is OK-ed by BB and SB, and they have been picking books off left right and centre. SB very happy to find old favourites such as greek myths, archaeologists dig for clues and the usborne science books.

SO when i couldn’t talk at all from parchedness, i got out the pattern blocks and sheets, and the girls both made patterns for a bit, interspersed with ‘putering. Mostly webland and cbeebies. BB is exceptionally good at manipulating, mouse control and general ‘puter using. she switiches it on, goes into her screen, finds firefox and them the bookmark toolbar. or else webland explore – which she manipulates well too.

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girls keen on baking, so went out for supplies, bt when I got back in, SB got all wobbly, so we called tots tv magic adventures french, and she snuggled in a duvet to watch it whilst BB and I made chocolate brownies. After that it was BB’s turn to get waily, so we snuggled together and she fell asleep.

SB and I made ‘rainforest’ cake – well, it had bananas and chocolate in it, which are rainforest ingredients. We thought adding rubber would be yuk, and that although we like carrot cake with cinnamon and nutmeg, they might be a bit weird with the coc and banana combo.

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Since BB was still asleep, we then did some fimo-ing. SB made a particularly ace turtle, some cool beads and a weird ‘thing’ i think it was for putting babies in? We glossed some fimo things we had made before, and also threaded a necklace we had made from one of the bead merrily kits up.

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SB felt perky enough to do a bit of maths, so she did, and I woke BB up – I know, cruel mum! so we did more reading squished together, including stories from around the world and various fairy tales.

We neede some more baking therapy so made some cheese scones all together. I forgot that earlier SB wailed as I had *made* her have some sweets in the shop – it was a treat! hardly compulsary. She then decided not to eat any of the cake. She has been complaining of tummy ache today, so prob that. However, being me, I am now panicking instead about eating disorders, so wondering what the best thing is to head it off. i would rofl at myself being concerned and paranoid if I wasn’t so concerned.

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Might do a self image thing on positive things?? am i overreacting?? [and I am imagining you all think so, but...] Anway, we also did some piano practice. she enjoyed this enough to want ot do it again, and thinks she prefers piano to violin.

Anyway, both girls then happily playing together and then next to each other on the ‘puter until tea and bed. SB has started the next magic tree house book sunset of the sabretooth, she read me a chapter, and I read her a chapter of from lava to life [her choice, honest! i read anything she chooses]

BTW, i got some duplicate magic tree house 17-24 from the states – new in wrapping [8 books]. I could have got them more cheaply from amazon as paid $44 including postage – sigh. They would cost 17.39 through amazon [not put any postage there]. SO if anyone I know fancies emailing me a best offer, I’ll consider it before putting on home ed bring and buy or ebay.

  • #17: TONIGHT ON THE TITANIC
  • #18: BUFFALO BEFORE BREAKFAST
  • #19: TIGERS AT TWILIGHT
  • #20: DINGOES AT DINNERTIME
  • #21: CIVIL WAR ON SUNDAY
  • #22: REVOLUTIONARY WAR ON WEDNESDAY
  • #23: TWISTER ON TUESDAY
  • #24: EARTHQUAKE IN THE EARLY MORNING

This set is brand-new, unopened in original packaging/shrink-wrapping.

i wish blog posts would write themselves

today just wasn’t what I wanted. it was rainy and def autumnal, and I am still hoping for a summer! Also meant that chris couldn’t make a start on the windows – which I am panicking about. And that the thought of walk to park or trip to the raptor centre didn’t seem a good idea either.

We did, however, have a v good home-ed day! We all woke in the same bed – not unheard of! so the girls and I had what seemed to be who could suffocat mummy the most successfully game! the girls went down for brekkie, and the plan was to look at a french vid at the same time, I think it was sort of done – but not really!!

SO, we rampaged through yesterday’s maths, and got the plus and minus right this time. then a romp through Getty and Dubay K. BB and I did some painting at this point.

SB and I then spent ages with her rainforest challenge book/game. this is truly excellent [linked before] and she has really loved it. we did the plantlife and the human culture sections this time – at least an hour if not more totally engrossed.

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BB during this was building with blocks and playing games with me – good at multitasking me!

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lunch was quickly flowed by craft, as SB did some paper weaving – to mimic the palm weaving done by the indigenous rainforest tribes. i discussed how the Iban live in Borneo, and we thought about all the things we eat or use that come from the rainforest – rather a lot!

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We were all needing a bit of light relief, so following the success of the magic school bus programmes at SOTP, we have also acquired some, and the girls happily watched one before returning to the playroom – SB to check out their website and then move onto webland, and BB to mostly play in a box, with a bit of being read to and poisson rouge.

While they did this, i made organisation of the book shelves, and brought down a bookcase from the bedroom [leaving chaos there]. so now we actually have some spare book space to fill. oh, and while BB and SB had a bit of a spat and wail session. to calm us all down, we listened to the pure voice of emma kirkby.
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Unfortunately my car went into the garage today and requires welding and all sorts. This has a multiple hundreds but as yet to be confirmed tag attached, so I am assuming that more books are unlikely. oh well. will hope that I can nab a bit of cosmic supply company energy here to make all work out.

SB labelled her weaving and was v proud of it, and then we all did some playing together before tidying up.
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we were going to do some violin, but the arrival of Merry’s girls so I could sign some photos got her out of this. Oh, we have also done some general chatting using french and english words – mainly around the please and i would like so encouraging this. Was contemplating rosetta stone french or german, prob the latter, but will defer this.

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girls came and all rampaged wildly around the house. it has to be said that BB was the wildest. aargh she is so willful and yet so gorgeous.

After they went, BB went to bed, and SB and I had a lovely peaceful hour together gently bonding over the sunflower mosaic we got from bead merrily. its lovely to do. not at all messy. we then read stories and went to bed.

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oh yes, blogging

nice to have a day off! girls woke up wayyyy too early! STill didn’t have breakfast until 11 though. before that the girls did lots of playing with gears gears gears! SB making up her own monsters, and bb fitting them together and messing with eyeballs! A spot of book reading.

SO pancakes for breakfast. then both girls did some piano practice – we had been concentrating on violin, so SB had some wobbles, but realised she still knew where to put her fingers! BB also had a go at playing middle c.

SB did some maths, BB is a bit of an addict for baby einstein dvd’s – havng quite rightly shunned them earlier [what was I thinking??] also reading books, doing Maisy’s colour book – and getting most wrong! We played animals – mostly monkey’s. if i roar as a lion she puts her hand over my mouth making a soothing shsh sound – very cute.

ermmm, general interaction type stuff. jigsaws, me flickring, girls shrieking etc. actaly will do a piccie kessie blog to tie in some of the key day things, maybe. oh, we did a bit more on firstlanguage lessons – proper and common nouns. some writing.

After lunch [obviously late as late breakfast] I agreed to take 2 desperate girls to the park. i really am not a going to the swings girl. Anyway, 2 girls loved it, stretching the boundaries on how dangerous looking they could be before i looked panicky! We were joined by school children later on, and SB and a girl started playing together. I could hear a ‘what, you stay at home?’ and SB confirmed it was the HE question! BB gor whingey, so said it was home time. SB wailed all the way home as it wasn’t fair we left because OF BB. BB fell over after about 3 steps, and I picked her up and she fell asleep in 3 more steps. sB wailed more when i suggested she carried the bag [2 drinks and 2 apple cores! - really heavy] So we frogmarched home with her wailing even more. gloss gloss.

SO she did something with chris whilst i became human again, and BB slept. she then read the usborne book about celts that i bought from joanna at Melrose – fab book, and followed the quick internet links.

[watching prison break, and am v glad we don't have a death penalty in the UK]

BB finally was persuaded to wake up, and both girls had a bath and downstairs for tea, watching bob the builder. SB and I read about the life of a roman soldier and then bedtime.

so there we are, a day! oh, and BB now asleep again – phew

oh, and i really miss bolding – i might have to restart doing it

very tired!

well, i guess it’s poetic justice that I worked this weekend following kessingland, and its been the busiest weekend I’ve worked for ages. In all daytime and called all night. So today I decided to leave slightly early from work and have a short nap. 30 mins later, SB woke me up as they were back home.

it was sports session this morning – must ask Chris whether SB tried the older group? She loves the sports sessions, and BB also likes the careering around she gets to do with Daddy. After it, they went back to the deep end’s new abode. Chris texted this to me, but i must have been at a superlatively busy moment and missed it! Anyway, they had a lovely time, BB was frightened by a cat – we have 2!

both girls did some colouring with chalks on black card to start with – very lovely. SB did do some firework pictures – nothing like being topical! bit of a tussle over BB purposefully squiggling over SB’s picture.
We inspected the garden – i didn’t get to see it at the weekend. french and runner beans shooting up, and some flowers on the runner beans. the broad beans had loads to harvest – so we did that, as did the mangetout. the girls ate them in thier playhouse. still more strawberries and also our weird not quite plum tree – as yet unidentified, but prob if i could be bothered would be! has some ripe fruit that the girls ate. Sweetcorn looking most unhappy – far to wet and miserable for them. things in the greenhouse on the whole happy – toms romping away and some ripening fruits. BB could only be persuaded that the grapes weren’t ripe by eating one.
SB happily did some singapore maths – adding hundred tens and units, whilst BB and I podded broad beans for tea and read books. BB fell asleep on my lap eating dinner – so whisked up to bed, and we’re hoping she will stay asleep.

Sb and I read our birds book from the DK animal series – part of our book people order. She also read the penguin lifecycle book as we read the inroduction and she chose penguins. We followed this up with a bit of david attenborough and his flying with birds [or whatever!] first episode.

Thinking home-eddy thoughts, in part brought on by hearing a girl shout at her mother IN FRENCH!! what a skill. must start thinking more seriously about approaching modern languages and poss latin. [whether i do remains to be seen. hoping that the possible local jolie ronde group may get set up in the location of the possible leader's home as v conveniently located!!]

So I’m downstairs wondering where everyone is…..

Whilst upstairs…..
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rainy day

well, we have had a fun day, though it seems unusual not to have been outside much! When I got up [i know, I know, really late!] SB was copying out the caterpillar poem from first language lessons for the well trained mind [lesson 2!!]. She really wants to improve her writing, but it doesn’t come easily to her. SO we are doing writing and getty and dubay to help.

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Hmm, trying to remember! SB certainly has done a fair bit of reading today. Ah, that’s right, she then got out an M and S body book and the DK pop out body book. SHe was particularly enjoying the fun facts. She has always had an interest in how the body works. I was reading to BB, who has been my little limpet today. SB also finished the polar bears magic tree house book – which she was very impressed with.

We had pancakes for lunch [rofl!] and then the girls did lots of playing with bricks. SB did a bit more writing, and BB and I sowed some melon and more runner and french beans. BB got a bit sleepy, so I read to her, and then she snuggled and fell asleep. SB did her gym practice – handstands, shoulder stands and trying backwards head over heels. SHe also did her violin practice.

I read the page of underground rivers from our lovely active geography of rivers book. We discussed the piccies, caves, what an acid was – remembered the coin in acid experiment! When BB had woken up, the girls played whilst i found the ingredients for the next experiment – making stalactites and stalagmites. Luckilly ours should be done within the week, rather than in years! SB did a line of writing on and off through the day. BB was keen to get out the gears, so we all ended up doing gears gears gears!

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don’t know what to blog

me and blog me are getting more dissociated these days. SO I apologise about the humdrum nature of my blogging!

Anyway, as Chris said, I have had a tough week this week. Wasn’t helped by insomnia for part of the week, and on thurs, waking up at 2am convinced I had missed a call from work, so ringing in – to their bemusement. i spent 2 days interviewing. on the thurs we interviewed for 11.5 hours, with a sum total of 50 mins break spread out amongst that! I could have cried for some of the candidates. these are those that we didn’t shortlist, but everyone now has an interview at their first choice. i think when we do the specificity and sensitivity we will have good specificity, and reasonable sensitivity. Well, in our area [geographical and discipline] anyway.
[ps I am watching the eurovision while I type - which may cause neural disturbances!]

so today was a lovely rest. i have done bits with SB in the week -mostly games and reading, but violin hasn’t happened! As well as the magic tree house [and yes, you can borrow some books merry if you want!] i also got some leap through time books, one about pompeii which I think is partic fab. SB and I have read britannia at night, and she is working through reading sonlight tut’s mummy lost and found to me. i loved my present. I think there is real artistry in the gold shapes on the silver tinfoil. She has also done handstand practice [rofl] every evening.

So to today. I had my saturday lie in, both girls were reading books on the bunkbeds, and then stickering. SB did some maths. it was a revision adding /subtracting/ number bonds type bit, so she raced through it. BB and i were making walls and towers with bricks, and reading. SB also did some lovely brick building – though BB knocked down as fast as they went up! I read SB and BB another story from the barefoot mothers and daughters book. SB and I the read some of the Xray buildings book – starting with pyramids. [i might link some of these books!]

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We had lunch and then spent most of the rest of the day outside working and playing in the garden. I failed to do some violin with SB. I weeded, chris and the girls spread much for the french and runner bean trenches, chris put in the canes. We looked at the fish, a waterworm and various garden beasties. SB and BB sowed some round carrots. Actually there is a half price seed sale on the thompson and morgan site! [cough]SO I bought some more seeds [cough]. SB was ecstatically happy with the round carrot seeds as she has wanted some for ages, as well as the dwarf french beans that can go in her plot! That’s my girl. She danced about with the packets in excitement! Actually, the carrots they sowed in their plot ages ago have started to come up, as have the runner beans [goodness knows where they will run too! might give each a cane!!]

sowing 'round' carrots
Anyway, lots of outdoor play, handstands and headoverheels practice [BB also determined to learn!] races, climbing and messing about. After a grump about whether SB could be naked outside like BB [I sort of feel she is at the age of knickers, but admit that I don't have much of a defence here] we then cheered up with a hand of rummy together, and then all painted outside. SB did mirror paintings of butterflies and caterpillars. BB painted a caterpillar too.

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We had a raucous bath as the girls insisted i got in too as my feet were dirty [they were]. Thank goodness for an enormous bath hey!! We even put the bubble machine on – not for long as BB wasn’t convinced by it. tea and more tut’s mummy and britannia [liz 1] and bed.

so, now well into the voting for eurovision -rofl still. Oh, and it turned out quite well for a not knowing what to blog blogpost!