my order from the little linguist arrived, and we have read since i got home from work The Giant Turnip
otherwise, thurs was tots group and SB and BB went, bB ecstatic as did lots of recordering. Sb listed to stuff about the phoenix lander. then they had gym, and sb got her level 7 and 6 badges – rofl at gym going backwards.
today there was a playdate, that apparently went reallly well.
chris may or may not blog this obviously 
Posted in Books, General, language, little languages
today was rather busy, another latinetc day, and i had 2 ‘speriments up my sleeve. katy was a bit worse for wear with a migraine [and merry got the start of something too] so since michelle and i were migrainous last week there is something in the air!
latin for the big ones to start, and science for the littlies. except i couldn’t get experiment one to work! it is from sarahs young scientist kits, and i know i need to search through her blog to find it![gotcha!!] as i was trying to use ballon over the bottom as well, and then used a plastic bag far more successfully! so the younger group got to see it work, but didn’t have the fun in it. luckilly merry to the rescue, and they all loved doing her sticking craft. i heard a great deal of fun happening in the music section too, and SB loved playing the bell tunes.
the big group used my model diaphragm/lung and did it. and due to chloes exceptional amount of hot air [i mean puff!] she inflated the balloon fully inside the bottle, and demonstrated the mvt of the diaphragm. not quite the way the speriment is supposed to demonstrate, but actually they all got far more out of that than seeing the little bit of mvt from moving the diaphragm! we chatted all the while about lungs and function and muscles, and then moved onto smoking. i had decided a sprinkling of health messages would be good, and had googled for smoking experiments, and abandoned that route!! so looked for anti smoking science fair, which was more successful, and adapted some recipes. so i made a pretend lung and it smoked a cigarette [outside] we talked about various illnesses, looked at a packet and a cigarette and smelled it unlit. interestingly, the only child that didn’t think it smelled dreadful has a smoking relative. then outside it burnt away and we saw our lung filling up with yellowy smoke, and our cotton wool around the cigarette was convincingly yellow and black. the children were most offput! when i catch up on flickr, there will be a set! a number of them thought, said or wrote some reasons not to smoke. SB did a flip book but on 1 page to cut and arrange of a lung getting more and more damaged.
lovely lunch, chat and separated to our diff afternoon events. merry and girls came here, and the girls played tho fran not so well, and did reading. and merry and i chatted about this and that, including the books in the post below! we also thought we might do a relaxed art activity here in the afternoon, as fran is spare parting at the mo, as SB plays down prob, with a love of barbies/sylvanians etc. in a fun relaxed way anyway!!
had a bit of a thing from work, so have been in once this evening, and might need to go in again. but hoping not.
SB had her new brownie pack this eve, and says she misses the old one, but we’ll see, and then judo – a firm fav. BB watched some numberjacks.
i am feeling a bit glum it has to be said wrt this parenting lark. but what ho, i am sure we can focus on improvement!
girls had a fun day today – that I am REALLY hoping that chris will blog. SB went to an animation workshop and loved it – they did a flip book and stop animation. chris dropped sb off and then whisked BB off to a police dog handling session which she really enjoyed. particularly telling me that the dog bit his arm… anyway, quite a first, SB being left at a totally new venue without parents, but she did know most of the other kids. not sure how many of their parents were there as i think they were all ferrying their kids to the dogs session.
so, when we all reconvened at home, SB did some piano practice, and then decided to make an off the top of the head baking, which ended up being hot chocolate, yeast, sugar, self raising flour and
mixed fruit in random quantities. it would have had breadstick bits, but as we are supposed to eat this, i nixed this! [ it is, however edible as we have all eaten some] BB did primary brainbox electronics.
SB had some good news in that she can move to the wednesday brownie pack, and some bad news at ballet, that she didn’t pass. she is quite philosophical about this, and will practice more next time! bB and i read a fair number of magic key books and on SB’s return we did some french together reading Leo Le Chat Goes to School (First French Story)
ooh, forgot tosay that SB got her ds back, but bb not got dinosaur duplo. bb has had some more goes at weblanding, and has v much enjoyd it
but before i blog, i am going to ask for hE absolution, or summat, and i need an HE alternative to a few hail mary;s that work on HE. my girls are entering a v bickery phase, and it completely destroys me. i look back in the blog and i see one of my advantages of HE are the fantastic relationship the girls have. we just don’t seem to have that at the mo. it is 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, and i try hard not to play ‘the oldest’ card with SB [too often!] but also there is an entire non-share thing going on as well. aarrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
SO, i thought, if we alternate who to concentrate on, do things differently with each one, but in parallel, treat them age different etc we might get somewhere, but we don’t seem to be. [tho it might be soon to tell] what words of wisdom has anyone got. i have taken an unemotional step away to focus on how to improve this. would like a few potential strategies! [leaving them too it leads to the worst possible day imaginable!] NB, my interaction with the girls always ‘full on’ and that we are prob in each others space a lot.
so, now that plea for help is done, we can get on with the day can’t we!! lots of manic running around and i had a bit of a lie in [for a bit anyway] got up, breakfasted, discussed our lovely new book
which i have displayed, cos i think you should all get it, it is so fab. i want one too!! but actually we didn’t do it, because there was a sharing issue between accessory/spare watercolour paper should we want to use some more!! [i bought 2 of the books grrr] so i calmly said that we couldn’t do it then, unless we agreed to just do it in the book…
so instead we did some recently acquired crafts. BB did a foam dinosaur craft, and SB a glitterry butterfly craft, and we were all happy again, working in parallel, and me in the middle as the no mans zone… SB did some piano with me [very nicely] whilst BB wailed that i wasn’t playing a game with her. bB and i played a game together [not-snap with her dinosaur top trumps] and did some french counting and saying hello and some colours. SB was playing with her sindy’s and not doing the baking she said she had wanted to do, as i was playing with BB. SB and I read the end of Camille ne veut pas dormir
then, following a contretemps, we watched a prog about cuckoos [rather than the conflicting girls choices] and that was good, particularly as one of the locations is just down the road… we all thought it was a bit yuk watching the baby cuckoo push its not sibling out of the nest!
SB has read her knowledge book [The Ultimate Book of Knowledge
We played ludo together, SB and I did some quick revision of latin [after i had looked up pingo - no, that can't be painting!!] and somehow it was teatime.
obviously there is always in our house a fair bit of snuggling, cuddling, tickling, rousting about and general play as well. but i have left the day feeling that i could have managed it so much better.
oh, on something that did work, we did some of the cold/ winter music thought stuff yesterday, and that went well.
SORRY for my tardy blogging, extenuating circumstances ‘n all!!
where did I get to – reads own blog – ah thanks for all the well wishes! only Monday. i really am dreadful if there are a few days to catch up on. i had better read brightkite as well for clues!! [it wasn't that helpful]
SO, tues was a working day for me, and chris took the girls to his parents for a final play with uncle and cousins. much enjoyed! i got home v late!! [that was quick wasn't it!]
wed we did some home ed type stuff, as BB v keen to be able to read by 5 and win her DS. nearly everyone she knows seems to have one or access to one now, and she is most put out. however, entirely in her favour, she isn’t being grumpy, but pro-active. i liked the fact she got out her get ready for the code and said she was doing the whole book that wed! she didn’t – obviously! but did 4 pages, and can recognise a t now!! She also did more writing – being v keen on that, even with limited letters. they do look like words, though obviously not in a language i use! she also did various drawings and craftings. Oh, and a fair amount of ‘putering – mostly on poisson rouge.
SB did a bit of her spelling book, and read some of the crusaders book and then mostly got on with making chocolates, wrapping chocolates and decorating a box for the puddle girls. it took her most of the day, and she received negligible amounts of help. she thought to use the molds of the advent chocs, and made plain and milk choc. i was most impressed!
I made the thankyou card on publisher, unfortunately no photo printer paper, so relying on chris to get that so we can get thankyous out quickly – the girls have to write a smidge in them, rather than a whole wallop, so gets it done easily. i also cut bb’s hair at her great insistence at it was getting too long. SB doing some magic trick demonstration put her off sitting still, so a snotch later and adjustment it is shorter than planned, oh well, it does grow quickly.
in the afternoon, waiting for the puddles arrival we read loads of books. we did some french – based around a french book initially, but then cherchez le all over the rooming! we read lots of nice readers with bB – those quentin blake illustrated books from the book people [ Fantastic Daisy Artichoke
merry and girls [and max – sorry] arrived – woohoo, though i still miss the merrymobile. and we got started!! the girls all ran off and played, with ds then dressing up and generally having fun. BB and josie took a bit more getting going, though the happy street and blokus seemed to help [merry won]. kids had a make your own pizza, toasted marshmallows, chocolates from SB and then watched fireworks provided by Max [we forgot this year - oops] . it was a touch cold!
packed off the younger 2 to bed, the older 4 got ready and ds-ed and very quietly got on with it – no idea when they fell asleep, but before midnight! merry and i played more blokus [my left hand playing as BB won] and we had a take away curry. Chris and i were not au fait with time, so we missed toasting the new year! – oops, but we did have baileys, mulled wine, ‘real’ wine and cups of tea [rofl] and a lovely evening. [we really know how to party, but...] anyway we chatted, chilled and were aspirational
Thurs morning i toddled off to work, but got back before lunch, and in fact before everyone was up. the girls were rampaging about, and ready for second breakfast. Josie and BB integrating well after a good sleep. CHris cooked about 2 billion pancakes for brunch, which were all devoured in the end. The Babs and family arrived during devoural phase, having heard via brightkite that some might be in the offing and nipping down the A14! We waved goodbye to the puddles having seen the new year in in lovely fashion – thanks v much for coming.
they were just going to stay for afternoon tea, but our new Agricola
. During that time the children played fabulously, got their own food and drinks, and sorted things out. they were obviously v aware that parents were not likely to intervene. even more fabulously, when they did get parental attention, we were pleased to find the house still in one piece! bB and R are real cuties together, and BB has joined the throng of small girls with a crush on B – tempting him to play lego with her with the promise of dinosaurs! lots of dr who games in play anyway.
i have to say, harking back to agricola, that we all really enjoyed the game. the possible strategies became clearer. we doh-ed over various rules when we got it wrong, and although it took 5 hours playing the simple version [2 decks missing - wow what a game with the other 2 in!!] i think one hour of that was setting up and working out the rules and confirming them and just fiddling, and then we prob could knock another hour off for not knowing what things did etc. so a 3 hour game on the simple rules. AM strongly thinking of taking it to Manor Borns tomorrow, but i think they prefer the shorter games?
chris is suggesting more games : 10 days in… under the ‘will be educational’ ruse!! [a ruse i obviously never use!]. ooh, there is a europe version as well 10 Days in Europe
Where was I. oh yes, we took so long playing the game, that it was a late dinner for the kids. ANd also declared too late for The Babs and co to go home, so sleepover declared – woohoo! the children seemed to have found a number of sweet and savoury options in the day however, so not too dreadful over late dinner rustled up from left overs – not our best catering acheivement. we had them playing outside with headtorches to use up some energy before dinner and then bed. B was excited by SB’s The Magic Tree House Library: Books 1-28
Fri: unfotunately despite earlyish night and no alcohol due to work [and luckilly not called in] i awoke with storming migraine, and took every med at my disposal, so missed saying goodbye to Barbara and chris – sorry. it was really lovely having you over. I slept until about 2, and have taken more meds constantly since then, so am in ‘bearable but grouchy’ condition. the house was tidied, and children did some home ed things – sb pulled out the Junior English Book 1
BB fancied doing a science kit, and chose the music one [University of Oxford Kids Pocket Science Kit MUSIC
both did a bit of xmas xraft presenting – felt flowers precut to be threaded to make jewellery for BB, and a felt crafting kit for SB. SB tested me on my french knowledge today – she chose words from the Picture Dictionary in French (Picture Dictionaries)
i have just gone back and bolded. i just prefer my long blogs to be BOLD!!
but while i was out, chris has done a fab job with tidying up the house. the girls have played alot with their castle, and i managed to pick up a quick bargain at tescos – a coffee table to play games on! our front room being the warmest at night due to fire] and dining room coldest [due to radiators on minimal] playing games in these christmas nights has been a chilly affair. £7 later and we are all set!!
on coming home from work we read a french book altogether, and SB and i did a bit of story of the world together – crusaders. we also read our come look with me book on modern art , Exploring Modern Art (Come Look with Me)
anyway! after that i played some build a beetle with BB – her rules, and fell asleep! [only a short while, but when i woke up chris had the girls in the bath!! and then some puerto rico with SB. it isn’t really playable as 2 player properly, but it gives us both a brush up on the rules etc.
and feeling lurgified. today was brought to you by a diet of diet coke and ibrupofen! the girls woke up early, and i was somewhat more tardy. however, when i heard the brass band play on the triangle, i hopped out of bed, and got the girls dressed so that we could go out and hear them. nothing like hearing christmas carols by a brass band outside! the girls both enjoyed listening too.
we came back in, looked at the house, and decided that we couldn’t make it look much worse! so we did some wrapping up in the front room, and finishing off cards for the muddlepuddle list, which we sent out. we then did some christmas crafting – ‘glass’ painting plastic christmas themed keyrings and decorations for the tree. I am always amazed at how careful BB is. i think i forget she is 4 now!
Whilst the girls did this, i read them the Mary’s Story
obviously we then had lunch! chris , meanwhile was trying to put up the curtain my mum made when she was last here, but obviously fates were against us! we didn’t have the right hooks 
mum arrives tomorrow. kinda magically hoping that a tidying up christmas angel takes pity on us overnight as well.
After lunch we made chocolate brazils for grandad. SB was entirely self contained for this, she uses the microwave safely to melt the chocolate and all i have to do is carry the bowl to the table [nor repeating katy's mistake!] bB also fiddled with the microwave and i carried, and she also did some lovely choc brazils [well i did QA one of them!] M dad always puts the emphasis on brazils when they are choc brazils [his fav xmas pressie of all time] on the bra, so i think BB thinks thats how they are pronounced now, as when we are making them, that is what I say too!!
leaving them to cool we return to the front room [we all can't bear to look at the playroom yet] as we fancy listening too and watching carols on youtube, so i flick around allsorts. SB particularly wants tbirds fav ickle donkeeeey! we then dec curry takeaway boxes [we only have the takeaway for the boxes you understand!] with fake jewels to put dad’s choc brazzuls in. BB then plays a happy game being Jesus in my tummy, and SB rather faithfully reenacts the angel gabriel telling me the good news. however when i ask angel gabriel whether my baby will have a long and happy life, she scarpers! When she returns as SB, she explains that she thought telling me whilst i was pregnant that my baby would be crucified at easter might have upset me! luckilly BB is being baby Jesus to distract me, and then somehow morphs into a puppy. [after she has 'hatched' 2 or 3 times - childbirth may come as a shock to her!]. SB did a quick bit of piano. We read Katie and the Sunflowers
. Then the girls start making christmas crackers – actually SB also completes. I fear BB might be following me as an abject failure as completer finisher. I think only Marcus ,that I know, has scored worse.
Whilst I remember, here is a link to the Matisse, King of Colour (Anholts Artists)
chris’s parents came round for some extra bedding for their guests over christmas and a chat. they also brought some curtain hooks, but they didn’t fit into the ring things, never mind.
Eventually we had tea and sent the girls packing to bed. i have made the veggie filling for the lasagne, and having panicked that there wasn’t enough initially, there may now be too much. i have also made the veggie sausage and chilli bean hotpot and sag paneer. i think that is enough! trying to have enough energy after I have written this [after midnight] to do some more wrapping, or line the curtains, or tidy the front room or flickr [all jobs i had hoped to do before going to bed] i think the ones that allow me to stay collapsed on sofa are more likely to be winners here. [wrapping and starting to sort photos won the day]
Anyway, just have to say SB was a star of wonder today, helpful, happy, lovely. bB has obviously missed me… But i enjoyed lots of cuddles with both. Cuddles with SB are – during the daytime anyway – becoming rarer, so something to particularly cherish.
on the agenda for tomorrow: make up the lasagne; pour and mould soaps to make; christmas muffins; stollen; more glass painted decs? ; in eve, camp curry, dahl and ? leek and potato soup.
and was not found wanting, thank goodness!!
so what have we been doing – checks to seen when anything blogly written!
AH yes, well the brownies christmas carol concert went well, though i wasn’t there to see it. chris took his mum and nephew instead. it was apparently much fun to sing in, and it didn’t matter that she didn’t sing her solo bt – good. bb joined in with all the carols too. i got home very very late, and then had to do lots of appraisal related stuff.
wed was latinetc, which i enjoyed as always. was a bit tired, but the children had fun. they listened to their hearts with a stethoscope and then excercised and listened again – always easier than failing to find pulses, though we had a go at that. unfortunately the sphygmanometer failed to work after the littlies session, but still with some effort we proved blood flow!! we talked about the names of the vessels, red blood cells, oxygen and lactic acid. All the kids got together to do the horrible hearts and similar kits in the garden, and giggled about them, as they don’t do multiple use well!! [and i got pink hands - which are still pink!]
SB said she really enjoyed the latin, always good. we must have a resume obviously of grammar words, as we haven;t done much on that having been bored with language lessons, but i will jump ahead and find bits for her! BB was v v in need of hugs and cuddles, and i didn’t think we were going to be separated, but she did stay to hear katy read meg et mog, and then play the french game. Katy, i think we left the book at your house?? [no urgency for return, but don't want to have lost it!]
Children did lots of outdoor play, and some did crafting indoors – including bB. when we went home I was VERY impressed that i fitted the whole suma order into the car, as well as the girls! When we got home, BB insisted on doing recorder practice, so SB did some maths. we then cuddled, read books and generally chilled.
Last night i went out with work colleagues to a turkish restaurant not far from here. and it was utterly delicious. apparently there is belly dancing on a thurs night…
today the girls are with grandparents. chris is feeling a bit better having been quite under the weather. we are planning to wrap the girls pressies tonight, do xmas cards for work and perhaps have an early night for a change…
edited to add – still wrapping, and chris has a lovely haircut!!
and it really is, the full OMG of what needs doing hit me when i updated our christmas planning list! i am going to see how many of the meals i can make whilst glittering with the girls from sat onwards!! chris will prob do the mince pies and perhaps cheese scones for the freezer, but he isn’t well at the moment. i am not allowed to make him laugh as he then has this weird woofing cough.
brr, it is cold in here tonight, missing the fire, and my insomnia struck again last night grr! today the girls seem to have done bits and pieces. SB has done her piano practice and maths and handwriting. she also appears to have told the leader of brownies that she doesn;t want to do her solo at brownies party last wed. apparently it didn’t go down well and she was told off. i suggested that next time she discuss with us, as i had no idea she wasn’t doing it, and nor did chris, until sunday. i think it because she lost the words. anyway, i am being proud of her for telling the leader her self, headbanging that she has done it so late, and made life tricky, but tbh, if i was brownie leader, i would prob have backup plans for things like this, so not too bothered. shame she didn’t tell us though!
and i think they have spent a vast amount of time doing xmas cards. they watched some science clips or other which they both enjoyed, and we all played games. i read – a bit late – the st lucia bit of While the Bear Sleeps: Winter Tales and Traditions
from jo. i would really recommend the usborne young readers books. they seem to have a nice reading style, enough pictures for the facts! we have also been dipping into Crusaders, Samurai and Aztecs (The Childrens Picture World History)
bit more french practice in a mild way, and the day was done. chris is doing the big sainsbury order at the mo. i should still be doing appraisal stuff [boohoo]
well, we all got up late, as the girls were up till 1am last night – in spite of having a v grumpy mum and dad!! [and unfortunately they are pestering this eve too.] BB and I did some maths and writing practice and read a read nose reader [all at her insistance] SB spent ages making presents [and i am keeping stumm until given] she was doing it so dedicatedly and happily that i made no mention of piano practice!! at meal breaks they got to watch some magic school bus – BB wanted to watch it in french [!]. their french is coming on a treat. when i ask in french what an x says [eg cow] they can both quickly make the right noises. our french conversation as is is off pat, so time to dig out some more vocab. we did some french yesterday and today. A hiatus as i decided the playroom was way over my tolerance levels, and the repeated use of the word bin chivvied the girls into action. it’s not exactly [or even nearly] tidy, but it it is bearable to me.
the baker ross order was finally delivered! so BB was desperate to glass paint the plastic christmas themed keyrings that some members of the family will be blessed with. SB declined to follow suit, and instead made angels from an old template we had. TBH, i think the freestyle paper plates at helmsley were a better design, but hey ho! BB joined in, and then there was a glitter fest plus feathers. we haven’t decided whether to hang them on the tree, or make a decoration with them.
a bit of xmas card making – must post some out since there are a lot done, and whilst we were crafting, i went over the second and third chapters of minimus with SB, and she seems to have remembered a fair bit. she did correct my pronunciation twice .
we had tea watching Merlin and then they went to bed – initially seemingly succesful, letting me get on with more of the appraisal bumf. i must do some music with them both next week.
