Category Archives: Butterbean

Thankyou to the local Chinese takeaway.

We had a Chinese takeaway the other day, and got given a free calendar – it rolls up like table mat, and has the different animal years on it. – in normal tasteful Chinese kitsch style :-)

It’s been a great hit. Yesterday SB spent sges playing with it – she was selling the different animals off of it (pigs were on special offer…)? to us. This morning it is? map, and they have spent ages now on some sort of expedition using it. BB happily going along with her and doing what she is told.
Great stuff. :-)

On the 4th day of Christmas

we remembered much loved older relatives, and went to visit Little Nanny.

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Not really the best day to be on fen roads, as freezing fog and icy ground – very beautiful but moderately stressful drive there. Pulled over to get camera out of boot, as SB took pictures along the route of how little we could see! We imagined we were going through swirling mists of time, and had vignettes of mediaeval, roman and Iceni life, interspersed with a brief cavaliers vs roundhead battle with sound effects from SB [made me laugh anyway as the all went plop when they died!] rahter cool view of the ecocentre wind turbines, as the fog cleared a bit, so you could see just the very tips but nothing else – wierd. SB missed that picture though!

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Little Nanny was pleased to see us, and though a fairly massive limp, is moving about in the house OK, but hasn’t left it. The girls were delightful – possibly because I packed the toy bag as well this time – noahs ark, paper fold away palace, colouring pads and crayon, etch a sketch, dolly and a few boks [for future reference!] They played with each other and with Nanny, being a good advert for near perfect children! SB having more of a go at Upwords [a scrabble a like game, where you can build up as well as off a word] putting ram, car, pig [going up!] and pen before stopping. BB made towers.

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Always sad to leave, and Little Nanny was sad she won’t be seeing us over christmas – however she and aunty margaret and family were all invited!But i knew it was likely to be a dreadful drive home, and it was. Pitch black and dense fog. at one point going at best 5 miles an hour, looking out of an instantly etched appearance to the windscreen [it wasn't as I checked!] totally blinded by oncoming traffic. nearly pulled over, but after 10 mins, as I was losing nerve [but with no idea where i was on the road] a car pulled out in front, and although still going 5 miles an hour, at least could see they were on the road, so much better for me!

So, totally hideous drive home in the end, though the bad bit was only about 30 mins altogether. Chris’s parents were here when I got in, and bought us curry for tea – lovely! And chose a nice digital camera online as a replacement for the one that is awful. Our camera working well – though some getting used to settings to do.

I am knackered now, just put SB to bed but BB awake, and Chris has just given her to me! I love her, but after 10pm, I would rather love an asleep version TBH.

On the 3rd day of christmas

we went to CHEF Christmas party. SO lots of fun and making things, singing carols, [playing, eating – all in no particular order!

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Got home late and adjusted SB’s character skirt for her to twirl about in, then had roaring fire and watched some History of Britan [or whatever its called] with Alan Titchmarsh – SB really enjoyed it.

Read some of the cutaway transport book to SB, and then mostly chilled and wrapped a few presents, listened to chtismas songs etc.

Hama Deeds/ on the second day of christmas

well, we did quite a lot of hama deeds. SB had to do hers twice, as B ‘helped’ her. The first version was better, and so never mind to the receiver of the gift! I also did 2 hama stars as presents, so will remember to flickr them to Merry’s group. i have now run out of christmas green though.

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A bit of general mayhem, and book reading and the BB went to sleep. SB and I had been going to do something fiddley then, but she prefered to get stuck in on the baking, so we made Delias chees and olive scones [where she tipped out approx half the egg, so we made up with milk and it is fine]

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and then some choc choc chip cookies for CHEF tomorrow. I didn’t get them out of the oven earlier enough though. I just am no good at cookies – they are either biscuits or soggy. Anyway, they are edible. Bb helped with the end of the cookies, having woken up. She mostly ate the choc chips, but did wodge some of them in. We have been using the great big solid balance scales, which are rather lovely, in oz! SO SB adding, doubling etc like mad all by herself.

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We have posted out the early years HE cards at last – sorry everyone. I still have my own cards to do.

bit of relaxing with the yoga DVD, SB definitely getting much better at it, and then more general mayhem. lots of singing carols – i quite liked BB’s jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells my legions [to the bring me back tune - rofl] Bit of ad hoc talking around the chinese calendar from the restaurant, and the years of thing. Chris and I are apparently totally incompatible! I have promised to celebrate the chinese new year.

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Dinner and now bath. How does the day go so quickly? we were supposed to be making yoghurt pot bells for the Xmas tree? AH, wailing from upstairs – shall I see what Chris is doing?? [it sounds like SB is saying BB bit her nipple? def one for chris to handle]

On the first day of christmas

well, it is for me OK, as off until thurs after xmas! So, got home from work and huggled the girls with great relief. We got stuck straight in with reading, snuggling and playing together. Lots of drawing – BB loves her etch a sketch, the wacky wigglers are still a huge hit. SB has begun to be more imaginative herself, working out how things might join and what might not work. Both girls are rather sweet at making up imaginative stories with the christmas tree decs in the playroom. Even BB has got the hang of making them kiss and fall asleep. 2 trees may be a frip, but it seem to be money well spent. Straight into Xmas crafts and we made coconut ice. SB and BB – so the mixutres may not be exact! SB is quite able to do it herself, but we still do it together as fun. BB made a huge mess but enjoyed it!

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After lunch, we did some making stained glass windows with black paper and tissue paper – glue city! i cut out a snowman shape for BB who stuck bits on it, and then demanded I did it! SB liked the snowman idea, so she did one too.

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We read the hannukah section of while the bear sleeps and then watched Disney’s Aladdin, strictly come dancing and Planet Earth ['cos I was steamless at this point!]

i fell asleep, but BB woke me up, so now I have insomnia!!

A lovely first day of the hols though.

muddling along

Well, I am anyway. Perhaps in common with a number of others on this blogring Chrsitmas has snuck up on me. I have a craft cupboard full of good intentions. We do have trees up, and SB has done lots of Xmas cards – even if not posted [first 2 handed out today though] and I am mostly done on pressies. no cooking/baking preparation. House a mess.

I have also been letting the side down with spending so much time at work. 2-3 days a week I don’t make it home in time to see SB, which makes me feel very dislocated from family life.

I have been appraised – and passed. Wait to see how job planning going for next year [AKA how many hours they think they can wrangle out of me for nothing]. I just missed being excellent enough for an excellence award – but a miss is as good as a mile [or something?], so feeling grumpy.

SO onto better things. BB is weaned, and failry happily. A couple of feeds snuck at Barbara’s but none other now for a month. Kind of sad and kind of happy, but def right! She is a total cutie, and talks beautiful toddler talk, and has wierd dancing shuffle runs and mooch walks that she does to show her mood – saying OTay as she goes off to do something. Still very edible.

SB has been reading more, and enjoying a number of books from the library – including a good transport Xray book, and ocean book and archaeoloogy book. should have done another story in while the bear sleeps tonight, but she preferred the xray transport as a bedtime story! She’s enjoyed watching robin Hood as well as various of the David Attenborough natural history DVD’s. I need to spend more time with her, as I also miss our reading and craft sessions. She had her dancing thing last before week – which I did manage to get back for [terrible temporary camera!]
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today we went to Merry’s. I am glad she lives relatively close, and we really should see each other more – maybe when I am made redundant or summat… instant disappearance of SB with the older girls. Fran tried to encourage them to put on a show, but SB and Amelie weren’t being very thespian! They then all disappeared off pretty much for the whole day. SB did look gorgeous in Fran’s skating outfit though. BB and Josie mostly played together – though BB did terrorize her a bit – she is obviously getting a nasty habit of face scratching – not often, last infact with R at Barbara’s. mostly over a Dora laptop though!

Merry and I gossiped a lot, Looked forward to Melrose and did a bit of fimo – Merry made a very beautiful statuette and I did some fiddly angels that fell apart in backing and made me stroppy! The bordeaux red in the classic range is a perfect angel colour. Merry intervention and they are now hanging on our Xmas tree! [they look rather brill actually on the tree, the white one looks best, we used superglue with no ill effects]

oh, Chris went out and did his usual timewarp thing, but did return with camera. Didn’t get the paper i asked him too though! oh we got SB’s mug back, and it looks lovely [from that painting place] and SB’s choice of colours works really well.

Anyway, thanks Merry for a lovely day. Everyone should have a fimo angel or 2 on their tree, and listening to carols is good for lifting the mood! [as well as spending the day with friends]. I am now going to watch telly and make a few angels. I am sure I have bought this colour, so will search it out!

Getting back to normal

 

Just realised that there was a draft I started last Monday morning, but never really any further than that blogging last week….. Mostly after the disaster that was the week before with BB being ill, it was nice to be back to normal, though I think it has taken a while for BB to get back to her normal sleep patterns.  It’s slightly awkward at the moment though as she finds it hard to get through the day without  nap (yesterday, she fell asleep while we were reading on the sofa at 4.30 and didn’t go to sleep until we went to bed.) Even if I get her to take nap earlier in the day she still takes  awhile to get to sleep at night. If you wake her up in the middle of her daytime nap to stop her sleeping to long then she is just grumpy for about an hour until she wakes up properly.

The girls spent ages this morning putting glitter onto the cards they had made with Helen last week. Well, SB mostly, BB spent ages spreading glue over the sheets of newspaper. (BTW, those upside down squeezing ketchup bottles make good PVA bottles). This seemed to take up much of the morning.  Other than that, in the afternoon, spent a good while on the sofa with SB reading and looking through one of those cutaway type books about modes of transport. So much talk about motorbikes, engines, the Orient Express, ships, why the Titanic sunk

In between there has been lots of playing – esp. the animals and the toy shop stuff, though there do tend to be arguments over the till, they are both playing together very nicely a lot of the time now, and SB has spent ages playing with various decorations from the playroom Xmas tree, standing by the tree whilst long impenetrable stories are enacted

The World According to Butterbean

 

“Pider”

“Nake”

“Efant”

“Chips”

“Biccie”

“Cake”

“Dairyleeeee”

“I want more chocat”

“I want more orange”

“I need tuddle”

“Breakie”

“Bumpy de head”

“Pardon-dee – burp/bottom”

“Hama-deeds”

”I like gannet” – came out with that one the other day - gannet = Pomegrante

“I like Mudder Goose” (Leapad book)

“I hadding…..” (whatever- as in  I had)

“I do it, I do it” (most likely something quite impractical)

 

Don’t yer love toddler-speak :-)

A breather

for me anyway. I have been working hard. I have my yearly appraisal tomorrow, so have been busy finding excellence in everything I do – always a hideous prospect – and filling in huge pointless forms – even worse. I guess the forms are pointful to SOMEone to say I have been duly processed for another year. I still have about 4 hours of finishing some online learning module, and somemore form to do.

Our local hospital is still up for grabs. Due to politics, they aren’t likely to shut it, but are doing the death by a thousand cuts option – i guess oping we all leave without being paid redundancy money. Think again! I have earmarked that money.

Anyway, in case chris doesn’t blog, they went to CHEF sports and played on Monday. We have done loads more Cnristmas cards monday eve and lots of education city, read the usboune starting point science under the earth.

Not entirely sure what they did on Tues as I got home at nearly 11.

SO today I had a lie in. When I got up, SB was helping Chris with the washing, and BB and I did painting – she is very keen on painting. I will pop here before I forget that one of her newer tunes is the Hallelujah chorus from the Messiah. very funny. She loves painting and her talking is getting more and more obvious – except when she has a strop. SHe has rather enjoyed the whole idea of advent calendars – she has a chocolate one and a sticker one. She’s not so keen on the waiting for it idea though.

SB also joined us painting, then we did an usbourne puzzle book – school before she moved onto general playing and building things with BB. BB and I read all the red nose readers as she is very fond of them. Ahe has obviously remembered her birthday as sang the first line of happy birthday fairly interminably when she saw the birthday cake.
SB did some more education city – definitely something that she is much more keen on this year, whilst BB and I looked at pictures and messed around. Some lunch was had, and I was rung 3 times by work – sigh.

After lunch we did one of those science test-tubes you can uy in tescos. we did the gravity one which was fun. SB had a good memory for gravity and its effects, and we talked about defying gravity and ways to do it. thrust/lift/ energy etc. the popper was fun, though BB lost it. Our staircase was perfect for throwing the parachutist down the gap and seeing it work. Also good for the experiment was seeing what might happen if BB packed your parachute. The extra boingy ball kept all 4 of us amused. A quick revision of the key ideas and how flight worked and then we went to the next activity prepared fby chris

Which was mincemeat making. Lots of raisins scattered across the kitchen. BB mostly played games scooping the nutmeg around in a bowl. Smelled gorgeous. has to settle overnight [a delia recipe] and then jarred ready for when we make mince pies.

A calm down reading roman gods in story of the world leading into a discussion of the planets again, and ranking them to likely gravity. The a day late we started the barefoot books while the bear sleeps. Chris also picked up something called christmas soup for the soul, with a small story for each day of advent, and we started to catch up.

The girls had a wild bath with the jacuzzi bit on and then have done a dancing show, eaten curry for tea [tea was running late] and now BB has done some more sticking Xmas cards. SB is still eating – she is very slow at eating! Bed any second now. Am contemplating reading The Hobbit as a bedtime story now she has finished Charlie and the chocolate factory. [BB shrieking that she 'Hadding a bath' - as in she has already had it] . yep bedtime. just finished in time!

raterh cutely BB has been singing a Josie song – as in for josie i think! SB said we were supposed to be sharing pomegranates, so that is what all 3 of us are doing before bed. really juicy pomegranate too

reduced to tears

by BB. A lot of the day she has cried as if we were torturing her. completely incoherent with rage that we aren’t getting it right. she has just cried herself into oblivion on the sofa.

SO with that as the background, we have survived remarkably well. We didn’t get to the CHEF meeting today – which was a real shame as sounded really fab as in the archaeology museum, and I had been looking forward to it.

So, we made a start on th XMas cards. actually, we first did painting – which was the first word of BB’s we understood. so having allowed paint to go everwhere in the name of peace we moved onto xmas cards, and SB was very understanding of the concpt of BB got exactly what we could understand her to want. They made 20 between them. oh enjoy muddlepuddlers! Not too much in the way of glitter, but definately a 2 and 6 year olds take on how to stick/print as much as poss on a card. Of course more mess everwhere, but 60 mins screech free, so worth it!

BB then screeched continuously and went of for a walk in the buggy. SB read me a book and then did education city. Actually, she did loads, cos even though BB came back asleep, she soon woke up. So I went off into the garden and carried her around all the plants. Deciding the neighbours may call SS if she screeched any more outside [though a lower volume than indoors] we came back in. Eventually she settled with bucking bronco and then SB’s leappad [which she really loves, and Merry has given us a first leappad she can get for Xmas] SB made up a complex game about greek gods, including various of the legends – she was heard to peck livers out etc.

More utter screeching later, and we managed to develop some peace watching the makings of walking with beasts not for as long as we would like, so some desperate offerings of books/activities etc, and a book became suitable. BB did some colouring. Chris is cannabalising an old computer to try and set it up for BB, who otherwise tries to perch on SB’s lap and ‘do the puter’. Fine when SB is welcoming… this also distracted BB from screeching for a short while, so I hid.

cowardice finished with, and I returned to help make pizza, and then we all watched? robin hood together while eating it – a short break though for me to take BB up to a bath whcih she was desperate for, sat in for 3 secs and came out.

She has then screeched so much, and nothing has been satisfactory, which was the reducing to tears bit, as we have had not a great deal of sleep. It really is the torturing wail business. It IS a shame she finally gave in on the sofa though rather than in bed, as we will have to move her…