Category Archives: General

A rather sad thing

Watched a bit of Supernanny tonight whilst blobbing out. Same old, same old really, but what I found sad was the dad, who had never, (7 years I think) until the program, read his kids a bedtime story

Thanks

for all the well wishes about jobs. both on blog and emailed from my work friends ‘up north’. much appreciated. You do know that you can comment too though!

Shattered from a very busy conference, withdrawn from other job where had interview tomorrow. Back to work and see what happens now.

Protected: Athens – work!

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No redundancy.

I had phonecall from Helen’s direct boss at work tonight – late? – about 10pm, so presumably post their MAC meeting (Management and Consultants) to say that they have said their are going to be no consultant? redundancies, so that is? bit of relief for us. (Some 30 odd other redumdancies were annnounced earlier in August amongst other staff at the hospital mind).

Though we wait with bated breath to see what the outcome is for hospital as a whole in the coming months and years…..

Charlotte Mason in Chunks.

Just came across A Full Life: The Works of Charlotte Mason on the Home School Journal Master Site Feed. Someone is planning to work themsleves through the CM ‘Home Education’ volumes posting chunks to the blog. Interesting if like me, you have an interest in it, but aren’t going to get around and read the books yourself :-)

It starts here if you want to find the beginning.

I do hope though that we aren’t too educated so as to over stimulate the girls .

That wasn’t a good plan…

Yesterday SB was going to an African Drama session with a local HE group. Both girls need new shoes and we’ve been putting it off, and weather is starting to turn a bit.. As we don’t have any decent shoe shops for kids in the nearest towns I planned to take the opportunity to go in earlier and go shoe shopping. got going, though a bit later than intended, but it would have been ok except? part way in it dawned on? me that schools go back next week, it might be a tad busy….

Shop was heaving with parents and children – half hour wait a sales bod said. I took a ticket, but wasn’t going to hang around esp with BB in tow, so we went out and ambled around the shopping centre for a bit, popped into ELC so the kids could play, SB was comparing the meits of various toy castles, she likes the girly princess type ones with lilac/pink bits – but did seem to think that the big ‘Castle of Doom ‘ was best – probably because it was the biggest and looked more interesting. Couldn’t face the heaving shoe shop and it was starting to clash with kids needing lunch so aborted the shoes for this time, so kinda waste of time and money really. You would think that with 6 weeks holiday, the schoolies could manage to not all go in the last few days – I ask you….

Anyway, SB enjoyed the African Drama – it’s not really drama – more musicy really, they were mostly playing on African drums this time. They were similar to the ones we used at a different group earlier in the year. I was impressed that SB remembered some of it, in particular how they were shown to beat a simple rhythm on the edge and the middle of the drum. So they had fun making lots of noise. BB didn’t want to be left out, and in between stuffing plums into her mouth had her own drum. mostly she just stood in front of it, but did eventually get around to bashing it a few times. Katy and kids from In at the Deep End were there, but didn’t really get to say much beyond hello. Finsished off with a visit to the park with SB best pal there M. Shame we live so far away so don’t get to see them to as much as SB would like. M was refusing at the end to leave the park unless we went round to their house :-)

time we got home we were all a bit tired, so there was a bit of flopping, a bit of reading, some playing with wooden trains (always leads to arguments over the trains), and a little simple wood/plastic construction toy thing (like a very simple meccano) that SB had for ages. Mostly now she likes to try making her own ‘designs’, whilst BB trys to eat the rubbery bits. I think she is probably ready to progress to something a bit more complex – the set was cheapy thing from IKEA, fine but it’s not extendable in any way. Not sure what though. Did some Explode the Code in the morning before we went out and some Exeter maths sheets when we came home before dinner.

Today was a pottering sort of morning, playdough was fitted in a round breakfast – BB is really into playdough at the moment so there is a lot of that happening as once one of them starts the other one joins in. SB was making ‘ancestors’ of various animals with the plastic sticking in playdough bug bits, so wandered into a bit of? conversation about evolution-y things again.? could we maybe borrow your Darwin book Merry? – it seems to be an area of interest at the moment, , we sat and read a couple of the ‘Wonder Why..’ series on history topics, which is always good for lots of little conversations about this and that. I fitted in domestic task such as washing up, some tidying, hanging up washing etc.. around all this.

Lunch , with some Little Toe Radio, followed by? a bit of quiet as BB napped, and SB did some Singapore Maths, then we tidied up the playroom? before we headed out swimming, which we haven’t done much of lately.. Home to find Helen home, some reading, and tea from the chippy.

Jane Tomlinson cycles across America

This morning in New York, Jane Tomlinson should be completing her cycle ride across the USA.

Jane (from Leeds, aged 42) was diagnosed with advanced metastatic breast cancer 6 years ago – the disease is terminal. Since then she has completed a number of long distance cycle rides, marathons and triathlons to raise money for charity (over ?1.2 million todate,) and also to show that people with such a diagnosis can still lead an active life.

Congratulations on your ride Jane and everyone else involved. You are one of those people who are truy inspiring.

You can make donations to the UK Charity and the US Charity.

today – chris says this isn’t a very inspired title.

at least I’ve blogged!

I was grouchy. SB was waily, and BB was more ignored than she should have been.however, not all gloomy. I had a crap on call last night [in my defence!] and am panicking about job related angst.

Sb wanted to play a gaime where she was home educated – whatever! So we read more of the city through time, and also the apollo 13 mission – which she enjoys. It fell apart a bit on what should have been revision maths on subtracting over a 10 [ie 23-6]. we got out cuisinaire rods etc to give a picture, but much wailing ensued. I have been concerned over the summer that she hasn’t been doing as much maths as she could, and this got to me, as we had sorted this back in June. So we did a bit, with me showing her just how easy it was if she picture the right thing – ffs she could do this in her head before! [you can glimpse just how patiently gritted teeth I did this] Luckilly, I realised that having done a few, I should call it a day, as she wasn’t in a receptive mood, and lets face it, a gloweringly gritted teeth mother is not the best teacher in these situations. [BB asleep]

So we had lunch, and then listened to little toe. the crstals are growing well, so we had a look at those too. Sb is looking forward to working out their shape – as the leaflet comes with crstal shapes to identify.

SB is very forgiving, and we were on best terms again rapidly. we went outside and she did me shows, clambering all over the swings and climbing frame, but has recently decided she is afraid of heights. grrr to that thought being implanted into her head. she went to a fair with Nanny F and her cousin O, and didn’t want to carry on going up the helterskelter, after all , it was tall, and Nanny wasn’t going up it with her, and O would have skipped ahead, so I don’t blame her for coming down. I would have told her it was better for when she was bigger, and not said anything height related, but unforunately the deed was innocently done. Now it is a BIG THING. I am trying to ignore it, or say, well roof height is a bit tall, and hope she recovers – it has taken me years to combat a fear of heights such that I’m now not bad [though not brilliant]

where was I? oh yes, she harvested an apple for her and one for BB from our new trees – jolly good, and then romped through her explode the code with no murmer. We listened to that free horrible history romans while playdoughing. She liked the legions song! BB enjoyed playdoughing, but the 2 were making a fuss about who had which bit – so 2 screechy wailers – aarrgh.

Back outside and i caught some of the fish from one of the waterbuts [6 of them] and we have put them in a fishtank to bring inside and look at for a bit. no idea what kind of fish they are. must have come from eggs on the oxygenating plants – any clues anyone? at least 10 still left in the waterbut. [we had loads of oxygenators, so put some in the waterbut as Bob flowerdew said a good idea. he also has goldfish in his too, so maybe fish not a bad idea either] BB was enthralled by them, and is very good at shrieking fish. SB also interested.

Chris came back with new bit of downpipe, so we all took turns tlaking into it, and listening. SB mostly as a dinosaur. BB giggling. We then ran around wildly for a bit and played simon says to release steam.

that was most of the day really. not brilliant mothering, but OK I guess.

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